-- below what it had been before -- 66 Transportation - 040298 - 6/9/04
I don't know what PGW's current year collection rate is.
85 to 87 percent, depending upon the year. But you have to remember that when you look at the current year collection, the way we calculate that, we could have billed in June and not had more than 12 days to collect on that. 13 And when you look at our payment 14 patterns over time, the 30-, 60-, 120-day 15 collections, and you look at that over the 16 last ten years, we're actually collecting 17 faster in the more recent years than we 18 were eight to ten years ago. 19 The other thing that confirms that 20 is that the amount of penalty that we 21 collect that's added to a bill when its 22 delinquent is going down, in relationship 23 to the collections which would be another 24 confirmation that we are collecting the 25 money that we collect more quickly. 67 Transportation - 040298 - 6/9/04 Our accounts receivable isn't going up in the same time period that the rate increases have taken place. If we were collecting less, our accounts receivable would rise, instead of staying level or going down.
Do you have a question, Councilman? Councilman Nutter suggested that we recess... Do you have a question you wanted to raise? Do you want to recess? Your suggestion is to recess to September 22nd at 2:00.
Could we ask in the meantime that both your departments work together and get this clarity that is lacking. We ought to have on the record a correction, you know, to your testimony if one is required from the last hearing. And so Council stands recessed on this matter until September 22nd, at 2:00, when the Committee on Transportation and 68 Transportation - 040298 - 6/9/04 Public Utilities will resume on this subject. We thank both Commissioners for their attendance. And we hope that your consultant for Black & Veach will be able to make it at the next hearing. All right. Thank you all for attending. I'm going to recess this hearing now so that the next hearing which is at 3 o'clock, scheduled hearing of the Committee of the Whole, can proceed to take place because they have very important legislation to consider yet. So, thank everybody for their testimony, their patience. And those that are here for the 3:00 hearing of the Committee of the Whole which I understand is going to deal with the KOZ problem, will take place shortly. Thank you. (Hearing concluded at 5:30 p.m.) 69 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings and evidence are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the public hearing of The Philadelphia City Council, taken on June 9, 2004, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. _____________________________ DAVID A. DEIK, RPR and Commissioner of Deeds (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)