GR PayIt government platform receives Smart 50 Award, highlighted in panel

Hundreds of city, municipality and federal leaders filled the audience in the Greater Columbus Convention Center as Grand Rapids, Michigan, City Treasurer John Globensky accepted a Smart 50 Award for the GR PayIt digital payment solution on April 4 at the Smart Cities Connect Spring Conference and Expo in Columbus, Ohio.

Granted in partnership with Smart Cities Connect, the Smart Cities Connect Foundation and US Ignite, Smart 50 Awards honor the most innovative municipal-scale projects that influence and transform communities for the better.

GR PayIt was selected as an award recipient based on the operational efficiency improvements and carbon footprint reduction it has spurred in the city GR PayIt is an all-in-one online payment solutions platform for utility bill collection and other essential city services such as property taxes, 311 requests and community development loans. Available on web and mobile browsers as well as Android and iOS apps, GR PayIt was introduced to residents in Aug. 2017.

PayIt GovWallet helps local governments to improve operational efficiency and revenue collection

As the Jan. 2021 calculations revealed, the implementation of a digital payments platform has increased the city’s revenue collection by more than 278% since 2017. Globensky also noted the cost savings and related benefits from eliminating mailed statements and promoting digital payments amounted to 180 cases—or 4.5 pallets—of paper, resulting in a $325,000 calculated cost savings for customers yearly.

Additionally, as 82,278 registered users opted out of receiving paper invoices in favor of ebilling, Grand Rapids has experienced a 50% reduction in walk-in customers and a 35% reduction in mailed payments, allowing the city to reinvest in retraining and up-training current employees to handle more engaging work while also saving $118,400 of annual budgetary funds.

Grand Rapids, Cabarrus County partners join panel to share their experience with PayIt’s online payment solutions

In addition to the Smart 50 Award ceremony, PayIt had an integral presence in leading two sessions at the conference, including PayIt Chief Technology Officer Richard Garbi serving as a review panelist for the ninth annual Smart Cities Startup Challenge, where startups pitched digital transformation solutions for municipal and military components.

For the session “How Grand Rapids and Cabarrus County are leveraging technology to drive a modern resident experience across multiple government agencies,” PayIt Chief Revenue Officer Neil Graham was joined by Globensky and Cabarrus County, North Carolina, Tax Administrator David Thrift.

The panel discussion addressed how Grand Rapids and Cabarrus County have leveraged innovative technology to improve revenue collection and disbursement, IT efficiency, operations and constituent satisfaction, as well as the immediate and unanticipated benefits of digitizing tax and utility bill collections. Globensky and Thrift also shared how changes in their operations are leading to more positive resident experiences with other government agencies.

See how PayIt can help streamline your operations and give your constituents the mobile payment experience they want, at no cost to your government agency. Request your custom PayIt demo today.