This Financials and Cashiering discussion, including Fees and Payment Processing was prepared in response to a formal Request for Information from a city of about 62,500 residents. Read on for information about some of the cashiering and financial features included in Citizenserve's e-government software solution.
1.9 Finance
1.9.1. Describe the solution’s abilities to create, manage, secure, and report (ad-hoc and scheduled) on financial transactions.
Our Response: Citizenserve enables complex fee calculations, and your subscription includes fee schedules maintenance. Fee schedules include end dates. To enable payments, we integrate with a customer’s payment provider(s); we do not store credit card information. All data in the database is encrypted. We use web services with HTTPS or TLS encryption with authentication to communicate with external systems like payment processors.
We also use web services or a daily batch file to send Payment information, accounts receivable information, and other financial information to the City’s financial system.
Our software includes a standard suite of financial reports. We also develop custom reports to meet the City’s requirements as part of our unlimited support.
1.9.3. Describe how payments are processed and posted.
Our Response: We integrate with the City’s payment processor(s) and do not store credit card information. Successful payments are recorded in Citizenserve, and associated balance due fields are updated. Unsuccessful transactions are also logged for follow-up.
1.9.4. Describe the refund process.
Our Response: We configure our user roles with rights to take and modify payments. For refunds, simply reverse the payment in Citizenserve; through integration or report, we pass the data to the City’s financial system, and the City’s financial system processes the refund.
1.9.5. Describe any financials and cashiering controls the system provides.
Our Response: Citizenserve provides multiple ways to implement business rules. We use conditions to enforce business rules; for example, a condition can require payment before issuing a permit.
For more information about these services, view this Online Cashiering Services Demonstration
1.9.6. Describe the period/year end closing processes and financial reporting capabilities. Provide a diagram where applicable to illustrate the end-to-end process.
Our Response: The City's financial system handles period and year end closing processes. Citizenserve integrates with the City’s financial system via web services to pass AR, payment, and refund information. We create any custom reconciliation reports for the GL and/or Refunds.
1.9.9. Describe the solution’s integration possibilities with Microsoft Dynamics 365.
Our Response: We can integrate with Microsoft Dynamics 365 using custom web services or any available APIs. Citizenserve’s technical architects develop the code to send data from Citizenserve or accept data into Citizenserve; if an API is not available, the City’s resources develop the code to send data from Microsoft Dynamics 365 or accept data into Microsoft Dynamics 365.
1.10 Impact Fees
1.10.1. Describe the capabilities to manage and track impact fees, credits, and payments.
Our Response: We have great flexibility in configuring impact fees to meet your business rules; there is no “one size fits all” approach. Impact fee calculation examples include basing the fee on meter size, or tying the calculation to application checkboxes or drop-down lists. More examples include automatic calculations, or manual entries by staff. Staff add credits to a customer’s impact fee, or calculate credits based on overpayments (if overpayments are allowed); credits are carried on the permit and applied to the next payment.
1.10.2. Describe spatial integration functionality for tracking impact fee information in specific geographic area.
Our Response: We create an unlimited number of custom fields for properties and permits. The fee table for each permit type can easily incorporate the custom fields into fee definitions with no programming. Any custom field on the permit application or in the property information can trigger Impact Fees. Typically, property information contains the necessary location information or GIS integration provides the relevant information necessary for impact fee calculation. Thank you for your interest in Citizenserve Financials and Cashiering.
About Us
Citizenserve is a cloud-based community development software suite. We configure our software to meet your needs. In addition to Business Licenses and renewals, we also offer solutions for online Building Permits, Business Licenses, Development Projects, Code Enforcement, and Requests. Explore our site see how we support community development!
Here's what one customer says our software:
“This modern, intuitive, and easy-to-use software system will provide complete customer care to help our municipality provide online services to our residents. With the COVID-19, we saw how important it was to be able to connect with our residents using technology. Citizenserve will help enhance the building department processes by making it quicker by decreasing waiting times, submitting applications, and paying for applications online. The goal will be to eventually manage the entire permit and licensing system online from intake, through plans review and on to inspections.” See the full article here.