CHARLESTON – State Treasurer John Perdue’s office processed nearly $3 million for local government entities in fiscal year 2015. Hurricane residents were especially enthusiastic about the program, transacting online a cumulative $609,000, largely for utility payments and city police fines.
The program is known as l-Government. The system provides a way for residents who owe money to local public service districts, municipal governments, police departments and other entities to pay electronically, using a credit or debit card.
In the fiscal year ending June 30, City of Hurricane residents used the convenience to pay $520,000 for utilities and $73,000 in police fines and fees. Smaller payments for other taxes and fees made up the rest of the total.
The system is similar to the Treasurer’s e-Government program, which is tailored to state agencies and licensing boards. L-Government attempts to ease some burden from local bodies which don’t have the staff to process cumbersome paper payments.
“We started the l-Gov program years ago and it continues to provide a valuable service both for residents who owe payments and for PSDs, cities and others who wish to avail themselves of its services,” the Treasurer said. “For instance, staff at Hurricane City Hall were relieved of processing 5,262 transactions and residents never had to leave their homes.”
Hurricane Mayor Scott Edwards said the l-Gov program is working well for his city.
“It’s a very good arrangement,” he said. “I know that the public likes making utility payments and even fines from the police department this way. . . I believe government should not get in the way but make it easier for folks. Our role is to be more efficient and using the Treasurer’s system has allowed us to do that.”
A look at some of the more active users of l-Gov system, rounded to the nearest thousand: