Springfield City’s General Government Subcommittee on Aug. 18 reviewed a 30-day check-in on the city’s new OpenGov software and discussed using the system to import outstanding fines and, where appropriate, place municipal liens on properties so those amounts appear on property tax bills.

The rollout is already processing online permit applications and payments, subcommittee members were told. “OpenGov went live,” said treasury staff member Kathy during the meeting; staff also reported that police and code‑enforcement ordinance tickets are being entered into the system.

Why it matters: bringing ordinance fines and older enforcement tickets into a single, searchable system will let the collector/treasurer’s office and other departments identify unpaid fines more efficiently and — in some cases — place municipal liens that are collected through property tax bills. Staff said that last year the city added just over $50,000 in fines to tax bills after a manual review of records.

Officials described the process and limits. Staff said only charges that can be tied to a property — for example, unpaid housing/code violations or abated municipal liens — can be linked to that property’s tax bill; tickets tied to a person in public spaces (for example, a person walking with an open container) generally cannot be attached to a property. Municipal liens are filed with the registry once departments verify items to be included.

On timing, staff said the city normally begins adding liens to the tax roll in November but expects to start circulating verification lists to departments in October this year because more items may be ready for inclusion following the OpenGov import. The collector/treasurer’s office and other departments will review lists and sign off before filings are made.

The committee also discussed a recent case involving Dollar Tree. Staff reported they had sent Dollar Tree a list of outstanding fines covering five Springfield properties; the total flagged in a staff memo was about $8,000. Treasury staff said Dollar Tree’s corporate mailing address in Maryland received the notices and the chain has acknowledged it will review the list. The subcommittee expects a follow-up meeting with the retailer in the week of Sept. 1.

Staff explained payment options. Once a lien is placed on a property, the taxpayer may enter a payment plan that can cover both taxes and the added fines; staff said payment plans are allowed and encouraged. Treasury staff noted there is no statutory authority for forgiveness of these fines under Mass. General Law. For help locating outstanding items, staff said residents and property owners can call the city’s 311 center and request assistance from the collector/treasurer’s office.

Members asked about how many departments are using OpenGov. Staff said code enforcement and police ordinance entries are active, and permits are being processed online; other departments, including health and human services, are being brought online more gradually. The fire department was reported still to be in progress. Staff said the city will continue 30-, 60- and 90-day reviews to monitor rollout and follow up on collections.

No formal votes or ordinances were taken on Aug. 18; the meeting was an informational 30-day status update on implementation and collections plans. Subcommittee leaders said the goal is both revenue recovery and improved enforcement of property‑related quality‑of‑life issues, particularly where property owners are out of state.