1 Inter-Municipal Cooperation: Tax Collection/Enforcement and The Utilization of One Tax Collection System By St. Lawrence County Schools, Villages, Towns and County

2 Issues with the Old System Previous System was unstable Difficult to use Difficult data transfers, Communications Issues Labor Intensive Multiple Vendors, inconsistent Functionality

3 Cooperation Required Cooperative effort between the County, Municipalities and Schools County Funding of Purchase and Maintenance Sharing Installment Surcharges Agreement on requirements to allow a “bulk purchase” to provide savings

4 Teamwork Core Group of Knowledgeable, Municipal Tax Collectors Forward Thinking County Management Joint Decision Making Process Group Development and Implementation of software Cooperative Software Vendor

5 Functions Needed Municipal, School, County, Tax Collection Collection of Delinquencies, Article 11, Foreclosure, Deed Printing Installment Contracts Internet Tax Rolls Credit Card Payments On-Line Bill Printing at the County

6 Requirements for a New System User Friendly Error checking and Balancing Common software throughout the county, Common Functionality Automatic data transfer between municipalities, schools, and the county Reduced management requirements

7 Vendor Selection Install Municipal, School, County Software Amenable to adding Enhancements County and Municipal Collection Experience Provide Training at Required levels Be available at collection hours

8 Benefits Realized Reduction in Labor Reduction in Errors due to intuitive operation Reduced Training Requirements Total Integration – Point of Collection thru Management of Delinquencies

9 User Friendly Collection System Ease of Data Collection Easy to collect taxes in installments Local collectors have greater confidence in utilizing our system Greater interaction and Cooperation between local and county officials

10 Public Access of Tax Rolls Internet Display of Tax Rolls Drastic Reduction in Phone Calls Heavy use by Real Estate Personnel, Attorneys, and Tax Researchers Public Acceptance of Online Data Public Payment of Taxes Online by Credit Card

11 Benefits (continued) Considerably less Vendor Support Required At the Municipal/School level At the County Level Reduction in County, Municipal/School Budgets

12 Financial Benefits to Local Government and Taxpayers

13 Tax Collection in Excess of 96% In a County where $140 million is levied by Schools, Towns, Villages, and County Unpaid taxes can be a problem for the County where the County makes everyone whole High rate of collection

14 Cash Flow Cash Flow for Schools, County, and Municipalities Improved Surcharge Sharing Pays for Tax System, Billing, and Provides Additional Revenue

15 Easier for Taxpayers to pay in Installments Unpaid school taxes in 2005 decreased $2 million That is $2 million that the county did not have to pay the schools

16 Payment of Delinquent Taxes Installment Contracts

17 Foreclosure Process Fewer parcels in Foreclosure Fewer Parcels going to Auction

18 Summary No significant concerns to date System went as planned The County is in the process of implementing the Tax Bill Printing portion of the project for January 1 Tax Bills Costs and Savings were as anticipated