The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) is embarking on a series of highly concentrated “billing open days” over the next few months to resolve lingering billing issues, reduce the backlog of incorrect accounts and enable ratepayer interaction with frontline staff and senior management.

The open days will also enable the city to compile an accurate indigent register, introduce mechanisms to improve billing and revenue collection and improve the turnaround time for query resolution.

“Billing open days are designed to rectify anomalies in municipal accounts and help the city improve its customer database,” said CoJ finance portfolio head Professor Rabelani Dagada.

The first open day is scheduled for Region B, to be held at Marks Park Sports Club, in Emmarentia, on Saturday, and will continue to be replicated in all regions of the metropolitan in upcoming months.

The first open day will host presentations outlining how the city inherited the billing crisis and what plans are in place to fix it.

In addition, various departments and municipal entities will undertake exhibitions focusing on the services offered by the city, including Social Development; Emergency Management Services; Pikitup; the Joburg Market; Joburg Water; Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department; the Johannesburg Roads Agency; City Parks and Zoo; and City Power.

“We expect ratepayers to come out in droves so that city officials can assist them to resolve long-standing billing issues,” said Dagada, adding that the initiative was also tailored to help ratepayers reduce their debt with the city.

“There are countless property owners who should be paying for municipal services but are not doing so; we urge them to come forward so we can remedy their billing issues,” he noted, adding that resolving billing woes would improve revenue collection.

In the future, the city plans to conduct a frequent audit of properties and meters; enforce consequence and performance management; recruit skilled and qualified professionals; and implement the SAP system successfully, as well as establish a Revenue Nerve Centre to coordinate efforts and interventions across the revenue value chain.