Tazewell County weighs centralized online payment system against department-specific control
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Summary
Board members and department heads debated whether to centralize online payments under a single vendor to create a uniform customer experience, or allow departments to retain control because of niche needs and vendor integration limits.
Tazewell County officials discussed the trade-offs between a single, countywide online payment vendor and allowing departments to run their own payment systems, citing transaction fees, software incompatibilities and departmental workflow needs.
A board member said centralization simplifies the public-facing experience: "If somebody wants to pay, you have 5 different credit card process" across departments, which would confuse residents. In contrast, a county officer argued departments must keep some control because they are responsible for revenue and operations and must be able to respond when things go wrong: "you're responsible for what your office is doing, for the revenue, for expense. And if something goes wrong, you're ... gonna get the call."
Speakers described technical limits and vendor constraints: one person noted that some providers limit which counties can use their systems and that many departments use different software platforms, making a single centralized solution technically challenging. The sheriff commented that centralized models (for example, a centrally managed fleet manager) can raise concerns about departmental autonomy.
Operational and data issues also arose. Staff reported that WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program records are removed from an internal system after 90 days, forcing manual comparisons to previous-year data. That led staff to note a need for improved reporting and data retention in any technology upgrade.
Funding and planning discussions touched on technology investments and small grant uses: one speaker said the county is using energy transition grant funds (a figure described in the transcript as roughly "$103,000" for current work) and mentioned ARPA as another potential source. Several speakers asked that the county develop and analyze internet and payment solutions as an action item and to return with proposals.
Ending: The meeting recorded robust debate but no final decision; participants asked staff to report back with options that balance user convenience, vendor fees and departmental control.