Canadian City Will Use Active’s Payment Manager Software to Process More Than $250 Million in Tax Payments Annually
SAN DIEGO, CA - August 1, 2005 - Active Government Solutions, part of The Active Network, Inc., and a provider of cashiering and payment management software solutions for municipalities, has been chosen by the City of Burlington, Ont., to automate its property tax collection system. The city will use the company's Payment Manager software to integrate with its tax and financial systems and process more than $250 million in property tax payments annually.
The company's Payment Manager software will eliminate the need to manually enter data into each of the city's systems for every financial transaction. Burlington staff can input the data once and Payment Manager will integrate with existing software, including the city's CSDC software for its property tax and permit payment process, and its SAP software for financial management. Other benefits for the city include a single reporting tool for all transactions across the organization, electronic real-time payment processing, automatic bank reconciliation and settlement with its financial institution, and a standard point-of-sale system to accept payments through various methods, including over-the-counter and the Internet.
"Our tax payment process is mainly manual so we're looking to streamline it and reduce the amount of data entry required for our financial and tax systems. We'd also like to automate our process for balancing any payments taken over the counter," said Sandra O'Reilly, coordinator of accounting for the City of Burlington. "Primarily, our current process is very time consuming and it leads to difficulties in balancing. The more places that you're inputting information, the more likelihood there's going to be an error. The more manual processes used to take money in, the longer it's going to take to balance. All of those things are a challenge for us."
Burlington, home to approximately 150,000 residents, accepts cash, credit cards and debit cards as forms of payment. According to O'Reilly, it is often a time-consuming task for the city's cashiers when they balance their cash drawers at the end of the day, and sometimes the procedure is not completed until the
next morning. She added that Payment Manager will provide a more accurate and timely report of the city's financial status.
"Using Payment Manager will give us the opportunity to spot any problems. The software also gives us the ability to check on things like delinquent payments so we know how aggressively we need to start collecting on late payments. We'll have comfort knowing that our figures are accurate, and it will also help manage cash flow," she added.
After the first phase of the project is complete, the City of Burlington plans to integrate Payment Manager with its parks and recreation department, which already uses The Active Network's software to manage programs and facilities.
About Active Government Solutions
Active Government Solutions, part of San Diego, Calif.-based The Active Network, Inc., brings a 20-year history delivering organizational efficiencies and improved citizen service to local governments worldwide. A major solutions provider to more than 1,150 local municipalities, the company provides cashiering and payment, customer service request, and crisis and information management software designed specifically for cities and counties. The software offers municipalities of any size a centralized, automated payment and customer service response solution, and an effective communications system for updating citizens. City departments can also offer citizens access to increased service options online, over the telephone or through self-service kiosks for any city bill payment, information inquiry or service request. Windows and Internet-based technologies include Payment Manager and Customer Service Manager. Representative customers include City of Auburn, Washington; City of Moreno Valley, California; and Town of Oakville, Ontario, Canada. For more information, visit www.activegovernments.com.