Solution Library

Browse practical solutions to strengthen local revenue. No account needed.

82 solutions

Non-PropertyCoverage

B2

Link Accounts to Service Points, Maps, and Meter or Proxy Data

Connect each billing account to the physical service point, asset, or meter, and make that link visible on a map or service register. When the city can see exactly which standpipe, waste route, sewer connection, parking permit space, or facility belongs to which account, it becomes much harder for active users to remain invisible. This also improves day-to-day coordination between operations and revenue teams.

Timeline
1-3 years
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyCoverage

C2

Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Operator IDs or Permits

Give recurring users, traders, or operators a simple official ID, tag, or permit that matches the charge period they normally use. This makes it much easier for collectors and supervisors to know who should be paying, reduces repeat cash handling for frequent users, and helps distinguish authorised users from casual or unauthorised ones.

Timeline
Less than a year
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyCoverage

A3

Targeted Onboarding Drive with Time-Bound Regularisation

Run a focused campaign inviting unlicensed businesses to come forward within a fixed window, often paired with lighter entry conditions or limited relief from back-penalties. This can quickly widen the licensing base where businesses have stayed outside the system because they fear arrears, harassment, or a long back-and-forth with the administration. It works best as a one-off reset followed by firmer follow-up.

Timeline
6-12 months campaign
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyCoverage

B3

Trigger New Accounts from Connections, Occupancy, or Service Activation

Make new accounts automatic wherever a clear trigger exists. When a user connects to a service, takes over a municipal stall, receives waste collection, begins using a slaughter facility, or activates another service point, that event should immediately create or update the billing account. This turns service growth into revenue without waiting for special clean-up drives.

Timeline
Less than a year
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyCoverage

C13

Site Allocation Register and Occupancy Reconciliation

Keep a live record of who is entitled to which stall, bay, table, route slot, or operating point, and compare it regularly to who is actually occupying or using it. In many markets, terminals, and parking areas, leakage begins when the physical space is known but the operator record drifts, informal subletting becomes normal, or vacant and occupied positions are not updated. A regular reconciliation closes that visibility gap.

Timeline
Less than a year
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyCoverage

A7

Digital Licence Register and Unique Business IDs

Create a single digital register with a unique ID for each licensed business. This lets the municipality track first registration, renewal history, fees due, payments, inspections, and corrections in one place. For licensing streams, a reliable register is the basic infrastructure that keeps coverage from collapsing after an initial clean-up.

Timeline
1-3 years
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyCoverage

B12

Change-of-User and Change-of-Occupancy Workflow

Create a fast way to update the account when a user moves, a tenant changes, a stall changes hands, or a service point is subdivided or merged. Many coverage and arrears problems begin when the account no longer matches the current user. Fast change management protects both revenue and user trust.

Timeline
Less than a year
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyCoverage

A12

Rolling Business Roll Clean-Up and Dormancy Rules

Keep the register realistic by checking regularly which businesses have closed, moved, changed activity, or become dormant. Good roll maintenance matters as much as finding new businesses because stale records distort coverage statistics, waste staff time, and make enforcement less credible. Clear dormancy and reactivation rules help the city focus on live businesses.

Timeline
Less than a year; repeat each cycle
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyLiability

C3

Public Display of Rates and Charge Rules

Put the approved rates where users can see them - at gates, in markets, at bus parks, in parking areas, at slaughterhouses, and on official municipal channels. State clearly what is payable, by whom, and how often. Public visibility reduces overcharging, undercharging, and bargaining at the point of collection.

Timeline
Less than a year
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyLiability

B4

Tariff Application Clean-Up and Decision Rules

Produce a practical guide showing exactly which tariff applies to which user type, property type, service level, or activity. Many user-fee systems lose money because staff apply the wrong rule to mixed-use premises, commercial users, shared services, or special categories. A short decision guide can sharply reduce routine underbilling without changing the tariff itself.

Timeline
Less than a year
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyLiability

C4

Simple Tariff and Charge Matrix for Frontline Collectors

Give collectors a one-page operational matrix that translates the formal schedule into something usable in the field. It should show the chargeable unit, amount due, period covered, and any valid exception. This helps reduce frontline discretion and makes supervision easier because managers can compare what should have been charged with what was actually collected.

Timeline
Less than a year
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyLiability

A4

Clear Activity Classification and Decision Rules

Replace ad hoc classification with a short operational guide that helps staff place each business in the correct activity class. The guide should handle common borderline cases, mixed activities, home-based businesses, and seasonal operations in a predictable way. This improves fairness, reduces argument at the counter, and makes the written fee schedule usable in day-to-day practice.

Timeline
Less than a year
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyLiability

B5

Better Measurement of Use or Service Basis

Improve how the city measures the basis on which the fee is charged. Depending on the service, that may mean functioning meters, better meter reading, occupancy counts, bin counts, frontage measures, trip counts, or another practical proxy. Where the usage basis is weak, even a good tariff schedule will produce weak bills.

Timeline
1-3 years
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyLiability

A5

Fee-Band Clean-Up and Standard Application of the Schedule

Review how current fee bands are being applied in practice and correct routine underbilling caused by wrong bands, outdated turnover proxies, weak evidence standards, or legacy informal arrangements. The aim is not a full policy redesign. It is simply to make sure the existing schedule is being applied as intended to the businesses already in the system.

Timeline
Less than a year
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyLiability

B6

Standard Treatment of Exemptions, Lifeline Rules, and Special Cases

Clarify who qualifies for lifeline tariffs, subsidies, exemptions, or other special treatment, and make sure those decisions are recorded properly. In many fee systems, the problem is not only low tariffs but uncontrolled exceptions that spread far beyond the intended group. Tightening the treatment of special cases can improve both fairness and revenue.

Timeline
Less than a year
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyLiability

A6

Control Routine Waivers, Discounts, and Exceptions

Require every waiver, discount, or special treatment to be grounded in a written rule and recorded against the account. Many licensing systems lose revenue not because the schedule is weak, but because informal exceptions become normal practice over time. Tightening exception control can restore fairness quickly without changing headline rates.

Timeline
Less than a year
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyLiability

B13

Meter Reading Discipline and Exception Review

Where user fees depend on measured consumption or usage, strengthen the routine around readings, estimates, and abnormal cases. Many systems lose revenue not because tariffs are wrong, but because meters are not read on time, estimated bills continue for too long, or suspiciously low readings are never reviewed. A simple discipline on route planning, reading evidence, and exception review can materially improve the accuracy of billed charges.

Timeline
Less than a year
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Non-PropertyLiability

A14

Risk-Based Inspection and Reclassification Checks

Use a simple risk model to focus limited inspection effort on businesses that are most likely to be misclassified, under-banded, or effectively operating outside the licensed activity. Instead of checking everyone, inspectors target sectors, locations, or account patterns that indicate probable underbilling. This helps the city correct fee application more fairly and makes enforcement effort more productive.

Timeline
1-3 years
Delivery difficulty
Not specified
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Property TaxCompliance

PT-COM-01

Send bills people can understand

Issue clear, standard bills that explain in plain language what is due, why it is due, when it is due, and how it can be paid. Better bills reduce disputes, make reminders and enforcement more credible, and help taxpayers see the system as rule-based rather than arbitrary.

Timeline
1–2 years
Delivery difficulty
Medium
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Property TaxCompliance

PT-COM-02

Make sure bills actually reach taxpayers

Use a practical mix of digital delivery and hand delivery so that taxpayers actually receive their bills. A city cannot credibly enforce or penalise non-payment if large numbers of taxpayers never got a notice in the first place.

Timeline
< 1 year
Delivery difficulty
Medium
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Property TaxCompliance

PT-COM-03

Use reminder messages before and after due dates

Send short, time-bound reminders shortly before and after due dates so willing taxpayers do not slide into late payment by default. Reminder routines are cheap, visible, and often generate one of the fastest compliance gains.

Timeline
< 1 year
Delivery difficulty
Low
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Property TaxCompliance

PT-COM-04

Add easy payment channels close to the taxpayer

Expand payment beyond city headquarters by using bank agents, mobile money, online channels, or nearby ward counters. Making payment easier usually improves compliance faster than adding tougher enforcement on top of an inconvenient payment system.

Timeline
< 1 year to launch
Delivery difficulty
Medium
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Property TaxCompliance

PT-COM-05

Allow payment in installments for eligible taxpayers

Let taxpayers who struggle with annual lump sums pay in smaller, scheduled installments under clear rules. This helps the willing stay inside the system and can reduce avoidable arrears without weakening the bill itself.

Timeline
< 1 year
Delivery difficulty
Medium
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Property TaxCompliance

PT-COM-06

Offer a small early-payment discount

Offer a modest, time-limited discount for taxpayers who pay early. This can pull revenue forward, build a habit of prompt payment, and create a positive signal before tougher arrears follow-up begins.

Timeline
< 1 year
Delivery difficulty
Low
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