jjacob@themeridianstar.com



New software purchased by the city of Meridian may allow residents to pay their water bills online sometime in the future, according to Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith and Dan Talbert, the city’s information systems manager.

The software, which is a financial suite purchased from Cogsdale Corporation, will assist the city with things like payroll and purchasing. According to Smith, it is one step toward the city’s goal of “going paperless” because it will supply the capability to handle purchase orders electronically rather than having them printed.

“It’s going to be taking the city a step further in going paperless,” said Smith, “but also in ease and convenience for the general public.”

Talbert said the online payment feature will not be available for 18 to 24 months, and that specifics about the feature have not been ironed out.

Smith said that, with the new software, the city may also be able to allow residents to pay other city expenses and get permits online.

Currently the city does not have any online payment systems, but the Meridian Police Department and the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department have both recently made crime reports viewable online. Lauderdale county’s Web site was also recently set up to allow residents to pay certain taxes, such as auto tags, online.