“The purpose of the Kiosk is to provide Web access for all citizens, including those without a computer or Internet service at home,” states Thomas Magno, Treasurer of the City of Waltham. At the Kiosk, citizens can perform a search and retrieve Tax Assessment, Permit and Utility Billing data. In addition, they can print out an up-to-the-minute copy of their bill statements.

 When citizens pay their bills at City Hall, they present a barcoded statement to the clerk. The clerk then scans the barcode and payment is automatically processed and allocated within the system. The problem is that, quite often, people either forget to bring in their statements or have one that is out of date. Now, they can be directed to the Kiosk, print out their bills and, at the same time, get answers to the questions they would normally need to ask a clerk. “With the installation of the Kiosk our citizens are now able to inform themselves of the status of their accounts in real-time and print their own bill statements.  As a result our Treasurer’s office has become more efficient, and we have improved our customer service response rate,” says Mr. Magno.

 Committed to maintaining state-of-the-art integrated software solutions, the City of Waltham implemented Govern’s Land Management system in 2001.  Since then, they have kept up with the technologic trends and are now providing their citizens with real-time Internet access to their property and account information, through Govern.WEB, Govern’s web portal. In the upcoming months, Waltham plans to implement some of Govern’s other eGovernment solutions, giving their citizens the options of paying bills online and applying for permits, electronically. “Our mission is to bring City Government to the people.” said Mr. Magno, “Through Govern.WEB, our web-based Kiosk, and eventual implementation of Govern’s ePayment and ePermit solutions, we will be open for business twenty-four hours, seven days a week!”

 Govern Software (www.govern.net) is a leading provider of enterprise-wide, client-server and Internet-based software solutions for local, state and provincial governments. Govern specializes in Mass Appraisal (CAMA), Workflow Permit, License and Inspection Management, Tax Assessment, Utility Billing, and Accounts Receivable/Cash Collections. It is fully integrated with GIS. Govern’s software products facilitate the interdepartmental development and maintenance of property information. Govern’s eGovernment solutions provide citizens with real-time, online viewing and querying of property data, applying for permits and paying tax bills as well as automatic inspection scheduling for organizations.