EP City Council: Coyotes, Hotline, Online Bill Paying

Roaming Coyotes. Faria Sets Meetings
The East Providence City Council addressed the concerns of some residents about roaming coyotes in the City at its December 19th meeting. Ward 4 Councilman Brian Faria has organized meetings with the City Manager and Police Chief. Faria has arranged for a meeting with a local biologist who is "an expert in the study of coyotes", the RI DEM, the Chief of Police, the Animal Control Officer and the City Manager. "This is an issue that I have received calls on," said Faria at the meeting. "I have seen them near my house and it seems to be an issue elsewhere," he continued. "It’s a time of year where coyote sightings become more frequent. If you are seeing coyotes in your neighborhood this link (http://www.coyotesmarts.org/easy-pickins/) contains important information residents may find useful," Faria stated.

Both the Police Chief and City Animal Control Officer told the council that while they are aware of coyote sightings in the City, there have been no reported incidents. "A small dog on the Terrace may have been attacked but no one witnessed it directly. Coyotes don't typically attack people and it seems that they are more prevalent from Kent Heights - south, into Riverside," said police chief Christopher Parella.

In a light moment at the Christmas-week council meeting, Councilman Joe Botelho recommended that the City hire the cartoon character, 'Road Runner' to help with the problem. Holding up a picture of the Road Runner on his tablet screen, Botelho said, "The Road Runner can foil these coyotes," to good-natured chuckles in the room.

City to Set Up Elderly & Disabled City Hall Hotline
"Tonight I'll be establishing a help line for the elderly and disabled. This will be a dedicated phone line for our elderly or handicapped residents who may need help or special attention on some issue," said Ward 4 Councilman Brian Faria. "I always believed we needed this and it will become a reality now. I met with City Manager Tim Chapman, IT Director Kelly Ahrens and DPW Director Steve Coutu," added Faria.

City IT Director Kelly Ahrens told the council that a dedicated phone line can be established at no cost. "We have direct dial lines issued to us so there is no cost to the city. Calls will be answered live by our receptionist and directed to the proper city department," said Ahrens.

Faria pointed out that the hotline is for non-emergency calls. "If you have a health or safety issue, please call 911," said Faria. "This is to direct you to an office regarding a fallen tree or plowing or something like that." Ahrens said that the phone number will be made public shortly via robo-calls and the city web page. Ahrens said the caller won't get caught up in a phone tree or face a menu of numbers to pick from. It wasn't discussed how the switchboard operator would discern if the caller is actually elderly or disabled.

Residents Urged to Pay Bills Online
Councilman Faria asked city IT Director Ahrens to give an update on the number of residents using online payments to pay city bills such as water, sewer, taxes, etc. "We want to try and go green and cut down on paper billing and payments," said Faria. "Yes," said Ahrens. We want to reduce paper and on-site payments. Currently only about 1,000 people or less than 10% of billed residents pay on line by credit card. Starting in January the city will promote its online billing capabilities. "There is a lot residents can do besides paying bills. There can be email and text notices when bills are due. We want to eliminate a lot of our paper billing and reduce city expenses," added Ahrens.

Responding to a question from Councilman Joe Botelho about the fees for doing this on line activity, Ahrens said that "the city isn't making any money on the transactions. The fees would be paid by credit card customers." It wasn't stated if the credit card companies and banks pass that cost on to the resident. Botelho also asked the City Manager to look into a resident's complaint about the online tax information through Vision Government Solutions which the city uses for auto and property tax. "A resident was billed an $81 fee for an incorrect tax payment. He used the website. He was told what he owed and he paid it. He then got another bill with an $81 penalty. I'm all for doing this stuff (online billing) but I think we need to get it right," said Botelho. "I don't think this council wants to hear from people who pay bills online and then get whacked with a penalty. That defeats the whole purpose of whatever you want to do here." City Manager Chapman was tasked with looking into the constituent complaint as outlined by Botelho.