Atlas Twp. ? Atlas Township is one of the last municipalities in Genesee County to get online with a 17-year-old tax collection system.
?(Atlas Township) would be almost the last? in the county, said Maxine Henry, systems analyst for the Genesee County Property Tax Team.
Atlas Township officials approved using the system at the July 19 meeting.
Linking into the system enables Atlas Township computers to communicate directly with Genesee County’s main frame, said Henry.
The new system will eliminate storage problems, like the more than 7,000 tax receipts currently stored in Atlas Township Treasurer Ann Marie Slagle’s office.
When residents stop into the township office to pay taxes, payment will be recorded by the county and township at the same time. Taxpayers will take home a receipt verifying payment has been received at the county level, Slagle said.
To learn more about the system, Slagle visited Vienna Township in northern Genesee County, where G-Link has been used for several years.
Vienna Township Deputy Treasurer Sherry Matheson spoke highly of the system.
‘It’s very fast,? said Matheson, calling G-Link ‘definitely more accurate? than hand-processing, in which tax payments are handled at least four different times, leaving more room for error.
While the county doesn’t dictate local tax collection policies, it enables municipalities to keep track of cash and checks, to double check figures, said Henry.
Using the system, Vienna Township offers taxpayers the option of paying in cash through two local banks before stopping into the township office to record the payment.
At one bank, payments are automatically deposited into Vienna Township’s account. Another bank issues a check for payments made each week. Neither bank charges extra fees for the service.
‘They do it as a convenience for the community and for us,? said Matheson.
Slagle would eventually like to set up a similar cash-option system with local banks.
Downtime on the system isn’t an issue, says Henry, who said G-Link is maintained daily ‘in the wee hours of the morning? during which a backup system is in place.
Locally, taxpayers paying by mail won’t get a receipt unless they specifically request one, said Slagle, since their portion of the original bill plus their cancelled check serves as a receipt.
The only downside to G-Link, which has been updated regularly over 17 years, happens when municipal employees forget the system has to be reloaded on each personal computer.
‘It will be down for a couple days? if a computer is replaced and becomes operational without first reloading the system, Henry said.
The cost of the initial software installation, which Atlas Township is purchasing directly from Genesee County, is $2,240. A $200 monthly maintenance fee includes payment to both local and Genesee County phone providers, since connecting phone lines are used to exchange information, Slagle said.