Johnson County approved a sole-source purchase for a remittance-processing solution from RTL Lawrence Corporation and authorized a contract totaling $185,230 on April 28.

Tax office staff described the system as a high-volume mail opener and scanner that integrates in real time with tax-collection software. Officials said the equipment can process roughly 700 letters per hour, create searchable PDFs to reduce physical-records storage and significantly speed mail processing during peak tax seasons. Scott Porter, a tax office representative, said the county currently uses separate check-processing software and expects the new system to replace that older function and offset ongoing maintenance costs.

Finance and funding: Purchasing staff said the hardware portion is roughly $100,000 and the implementation and software work is about $72,000; the tax office expects to use designated receipt/escrow funds for the hardware purchase while transferring $72,000 from non-departmental to cover implementation so the system can be in place before the next tax season. The court approved both a sole-source exemption order and the vendor contract by unanimous vote.

Why it matters: County staff expect the system to cut processing time for mailed payments, improve record searchability and reduce long-term physical storage needs. Commissioners asked about maintenance and how existing check-processing costs will be reallocated; staff said the older software maintenance cost will be discontinued and partly offset the new system’s annual maintenance.