Santa Barbara finance officials say Numo Payments sped up tax and utility collections

Keith DeMartini, finance director for the City of Santa Barbara, and Lindsey Moss, the citys assistant finance director, said the citys partnership with Numo Payments has made it easier for businesses and residents to file and pay taxes and utility bills online and has reduced manual work for treasury staff.

DeMartini said the city pursued automation because many processes were "very manual, very paper-based, very time-consuming." He told the meeting the city was "very interested in automation possibilities" to allow businesses to file and remit online and to accept credit- and debit-card payments.

Moss, who oversees the treasury, utility billing and accounts receivable groups, said those teams "work heavily with Numo on a regular basis because they help collect our various taxes and assessments throughout the city." She said that when she started with the city about three years ago, the finance office was "a bit behind the times" on electronic payments and that the partnership with Numo has helped the city "leap forward" in accepting more forms of payment.

Officials said the Numo Payments platform is accessible to taxpayers for multiple types of taxes and assessments and has decreased the volume of counter transactions and mailed payments processed daily. "It allows our team to feel comfortable and safe with the type of transactions that are being processed directly through Numo Payments," Moss said. DeMartini added that the change has resulted in the "vast majority of our businesses" filing online and paying through electronic means.

Moss also said customers now generally prefer to pay online. "Once they became familiar with the online portal, they really preferred to be able to pay just with their debit card or their checking account with no fee and get their payment done and complete right away," she said. Officials said the reduced handling of individual transactions has improved staff workflow over the last few years.

The officials provided no vote or formal action during the discussion and did not provide specific performance metrics or contract details in the remarks presented.