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Board approves kiosk program to allow vehicle tag renewals at Kroger; county liable if transaction minimum not met
Summary
The commissioners approved a kiosk and credit-card upgrade agreement for the tax commissioner's office. The vendor supplies a kiosk at no upfront cost; the county must meet a 600-transaction monthly minimum per kiosk or cover the shortfall and customers pay a $3.95 service fee per transaction.
The Effingham County Board of Commissioners approved Feb. 4 a kiosk agreement and credit‑card reader upgrade to allow vehicle tag renewals and, in future, other payments at a Kroger location and similar public kiosks.
Tax Commissioner Daniel Roadwalk told the board the vendor would place the kiosk at Kroger at no upfront cost; customers pay a $3.95 service charge for each transaction processed at the kiosk. Roadwalk said the vendor requires a minimum of 600 transactions per kiosk per month and offers a six‑month trial (grace) period to ramp up usage. “It's more than 600,” Roadwalk said, describing current online and kiosk activity at nearby Savannah locations.
Roadwalk said the kiosk prints decals on the spot, expands hours beyond the tag office and should lower in‑office wait times. He said kiosks in nearby counties have generated significant usage; he cited about $18,000 in transactions in Savannah kiosks in a recent month. The service also could be expanded to accept driver’s license renewals and county water-bill payments in the future.
The board discussed financial exposure if the county fails to meet the minimum. Roadwalk said the county would be “on the hook for the remaining balance” if the transaction minimum is not met after the grace period; the shortfall is calculated as the deficit multiplied by the $3.95 per-transaction fee. He said the vendor will remove the machine at no cost to the county if the program does not work after a trial period.
Commissioners asked about placement and whether the kiosk would reduce lines at the tax office. Roadwalk said the county would initially install one kiosk and could expand later if usage supports additional machines. After discussion, the board voted to approve the agreement.
