County may simplify paying taxes

New online system could reduce credit-card charges, too

By Sharon Mcbrayer
Published: March 10, 2010

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Morganton --

The Burke County tax office wants a new software program that will cost taxpayers less while adding more convenience to its online system.
Danny Isenhour, tax administrator for Burke County, said the new system will allow taxpayers to view any of their tax records, including vehicle taxes; to print receipts at any time; to see whether a bill is due; and to track payments.
Essentially, the tax office would be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Isenhour explained.
"It will be a real convenience for out citizens," he said.
Isenhour and Bill Shoaff, executive vice president of Sturgis Web Service in South Carolina, gave a presentation about the system to commissioners during a meeting with county department managers. If commissioners agree to buy the program, it would replace the current system on the county's Web site.
With the current system, a taxpayer must have a copy of his or her printed bill and enter information from it to the Web site.
Printing receipts isn't an option with the current system.
The new system also would save taxpayers money on the convenience fee for using a credit card, Isenhour said. The current system charges a graduated fee for making online payments with a credit card. For instance, the fee is $7 for paying a $100 bill. If the bill is $1,000, the fee is 3 percent, adding $30 to the bill.
The new system would charge a 2.2 percent convenience fee, plus 30 cents. The 2.2 percent would go to the credit card company and the 30 cents would go to PayPal, Isenhour said.
Taxpayers wouldn't need a PayPal account to use the online system. The PayPal account would be set up through the county, Isenhour said.
Sturgis Web Service negotiated the smaller convenience fee, according to Isenhour.
Shoaff said the largest county using the system is Gaston County, which has a population of 200,000. The smallest is in Georgia, he said, with a population of 12,000. Most counties using the system have populations under 100,000.
Burke County collected $435,000 in taxes through its current online system, Isenhour said. He believes that amount will go up with the new system. Paying bills online, he said, is "becoming more and more a way of life."
The cost of the new system is $15,204, unless commissioners approve the purchase before June 1 and qualify for an $8,000 discount.
The county would pay a $595 per month for the Web site and $30 a month to PayPal. The PayPal fee would allow the county to accept credit cards at the tax office counter, which is something Isenhour said it currently can't do.
He hopes commissioners will approve the purchase at their first meeting in April.
Isenhour said he wants to allow eight to 12 weeks for design work before the county makes the online system available to taxpayers around the first part of July.