Roseburg, Oregon
The Roseburg Municipal Court found a case management software solution, JustWare | Municipal Court, that helped them automate their financial tracking, preventing thousands of dollars in lost collections to their community.
AGENCY IMPACT
The Roseburg Municipal Court understood that unreliable technology negatively impacted not only their staff’s ability to complete tasks, but also their court’s ability to provide fast and efficient justice to their community. “[Our legacy system] was like a dinosaur,” said Susan Martin, former Court Administrator for Roseburg. “We would try to track those that were past due, and it would intermittently miss things. You couldn’t trust any accuracy in it or be sure that it was actually catching all of those accounts. Needless to say, we lost thousands of dollars.” Roseburg chose JustWare | Municipal Court to replace their legacy system.
In the old software, just entering a payment was a long, multi-screen task. However, what we’re doing with JustWare, you’re in a payment screen, you take their money, and you give them a receipt. It’s that simple.
Lori Phillips, JustWare Administrator, Roseburg Municipal Court
“We really wanted a team of people that would work with us,” explained Martin. “Every court does things differently. It was important for us to find a company that would work with us and help us design what we needed the system to be like.” JustWare met their requirement of flexibility. Skilled project managers configured the software solution to fit the needs of their court. No other configurations were more impactful for Roseburg than JustWare financials.
“In the old software, just entering a payment was a long, multi-screen task,” described Lori Phillips, JustWare Administrator for Roseburg. “However, what we’re doing with JustWare, you’re in a payment screen, you take their money, and you give them a receipt. It’s that simple.”
JustWare’s financial tracking eliminated the problem of past due records falling through the cracks, helping the court to be a better steward of public funds. “JustWare allows the court to audit every 30 days,” said Cheryl Guett, Financial Director for the City of Roseburg. The court runs a variety of automated reports including the Past Due report that captures delinquent accounts at various intervals in the collections process. Automated workflow tied to these reports allows the court to follow up with these accounts by generating Failure to Pay letters, Suspension letters, and other automated documents that draw information directly from the JustWare database without the need to be entered manually. “This allows us to be more consistent and firm with customers about not missing payments or being sent to collections,” Guyett continues. “Collections reviews new accounts with current contact information every 30 days, allowing them to take faster action.”
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Governments that are willing to adapt to and incorporate new technologies are able to provide better, faster, and closer solutions to the public they serve.
“We look forward to technology enhancements that will provide economical, convenient, and efficient options, including paper reduction and imaging capabilities,” said Guyett. Roseburg is looking at expanding their use of JustWare to include such things as integration with law enforcement and creation of online payment portals and account review stations. Integrating with stakeholders and making information more public and automated will allow Roseburg to serve their community in a more modern and efficient way.