Technology that grows with the community

Beaufort County, South Carolina has a rapidly growing population and, in turn, an increasing demand for efficient and accessible government services. The community couldn’t continue to sustain its growth (or, for that matter, flourish) without a system that provides consistent, predictable, and secure cash flow to support the county’s vision, mission, and core values. 

The county’s Treasurer, Maria Walls, knew that the faster money made its way to the Treasurer’s Office, the faster those funds could be put to work for Beaufort County residents. So, Beaufort County partnered with PayIt to launch myBeaufortCounty, offering a more convenient and efficient way for residents to interact with their local government.

Resident tech adoption leads to operational efficiency…

Since launching the new platform, Beaufort County has seen exponential growth in online engagement — and we know that the quicker you get people to adopt technology, the sooner the agency benefits. 

With active resident engagement, the system has also significantly increased the county’s operational efficiency. Over the past three years, despite the growing population, Beaufort County hasn’t felt pressured to add any additional staff members. “The equivalent of what myBeaufortCounty covered as far as transactions are concerned (in just the past 12 months alone) would’ve taken two full-time employees working 20 days a month nonstop,” said Walls. 

In fact, 97% of customers completed payments without needing assistance from customer care, lessening the toll that support takes on staff during tax season. Thanks to more automation and easier reconciliation, the staff is able to do their best work with less stress.

The system has also improved the county’s cash flow. “Since last year, we have had an increase of 26% in the volume of dollars that is not coming in through the office and a 17% increase in transaction volume,” says Walls. “The faster we can get a dollar into the Treasurer’s Office, the faster we can put it to use.

Since myBeaufortCounty launched, it’s facilitated the collection of $618 million (from November 2017 to February 2023). And since transactions and reconciliation are faster with myBeaufortCounty, that money gets dispersed quickly, funding first responders, public schools, road maintenance, and all the many other services that benefit the community. 

Proactive funding: myBeaufortCounty allows leadership to invest public tax dollars on a daily basis

Beaufort County has made millions of dollars every year on the faster cash flow facilitated by myBeaufortCounty. The investment revenue the county has made is equivalent to about a 13% tax increase, which wouldn’t have been achieved without the increased cash flows. Even better, every dollar of investment income generated is a dollar that’s not coming from the residents’ pocket. 

Collecting funds sooner means fewer phone calls, emails, letters, and delinquencies that staff has to handle. 

Profit with partnership 

“We work with partners like PayIt to anticipate and address issues before they arise,” said Walls.  “Working with a team like PayIt, which is focused on helping us avoid the pitfalls of tomorrow, gives me peace of mind.”

Related Resources