Accomplishments
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SERVICE E EFFICIENCY E ACCOUNTABILITY

Dear Residents,

We are pleased to share our latest accomplishments with you, all made possible through the hard work and first-class service provided every day by your Hall County Tax Office’s outstanding team of professionals. It is a privilege to work with this team and an honor to serve you.

 

Darla Eden                                  Richard Steele
Tax Commissioner                     Chief Deputy Tax Commissioner

SERVICE

We want every experience with the Tax Office to be a satisfying one, so we have created a customer-friendly culture completely focused on helping you. To provide first-class service, we cross-train staff so they can be moved as needed to immediately give our residents responsive service, whether in person, on the phone, or online.

We work for our residents – This is your Tax Office and we work for you. We greet everyone with a smile and give attention to your individual needs.

Information Desk – A dedicated Tax | Tag Agent at our entrance meets residents and looks over their documents to ensure all needed items are present to complete the desired transaction.

Information Desk

Self Service Tag Renewal Kiosk

Drive Up Drop Box

Customer Interaction Center (CIC)

Appointment & Queuing System – We have implemented a taxpayer appointment and queuing system to streamline lobby management and enhance the taxpayer experience. Taxpayers benefit from our employees’ readiness with planned and scheduled service in accordance with the skill level required for each transaction. Additionally, managers can view wait times, add appointments as needed, check employee availability, move customers forward in the queue, save their spot in the queue, and access important customer details to personalize each transaction. The goal is to make each customer interaction as efficient and effective as possible. Make an appointment here.

Save a Trip and Skip the Line – Launched in 2022, our educational Skip the Line campaign initiative has led to increased awareness of convenient ways that local taxpayers can save time and travel for most transactions such as tag renewals and other tax payments. Learn more here.

Self Service Tag Renewal Kiosks – To serve residents after hours and on weekends, we now have three kiosks for motor vehicle renewals located at New Holland Marketplace Kroger on Jesse Jewell Parkway, Clearwater Crossing Kroger on Spout Springs Road in Flowery Branch, and Royal Lakes Kroger on Winder Highway. With the renewal notice (or license tag number) and a credit/debit card, most renewals can process in less than 60 seconds.

  • In 2023, our newest self-service tag renewal kiosk opened at Kroger on Winder Highway, saving taxpayers thousands of trips to the Tag Office. Learn more here.
  • With expected expansion of the kiosk network in 2024, we are actively implementing enhancements based on taxpayer needs and input.

Kiosk Upgrades – During the fourth quarter of 2022, all kiosks were updated with features including EMV (Euro MasterCard Visa) debit/credit card chip readers, as well as a tactile device to assist visually and hearing-impaired customers.

Communications and Taxpayer Education – New media campaigns kept taxpayers informed on the ever-changing property and motor vehicle laws. We created user-friendly resources to educate residents on a wide variety of tax and tag matters. In addition to our enhanced website and social media outreach, we upgraded property tax e-Alerts, automated text renewal reminders, and promoted our convenient text messaging number:  833.602.8497.

Customer Interaction Center – A newly developed communications center accepts phone calls, text messages, emails, and faxes. Feedback indicates this area has impressed residents with our dedication to personal service in an effort to save time and trips to our office.

Drive-Up Drop Box – Located across from the entrance to the Hall County Government Center, a secure drop box makes it so much easier to bypass the post office to deliver vehicle tag renewals or property tax payments directly to our Tax Office.

DRIVES Online E-Services – Recent years have ushered in a new wave of technology for your Hall County Tax Commissioner’s Office. Our Motor Vehicle division underwent a statewide conversion to an online service system known as DRIVES (Driver Record and Integrated Vehicle Enterprise System). DRIVES allows citizens to do more from the comfort of their own homes rather than at the Tag Office. DRIVES offers the ability to renew, replace, and cancel registrations; pre-apply and check title status; check title, lien and insurance; use a TAVT estimator; order prestige and specialty tags; update address information; and order GO-GREEN e-notifications – all from one website – eservices.drives.ga.gov.

Enhanced Online Bill PayOur new online bill pay platform at https://hallcountytax.org/pay-bill allows taxpayers to pay property taxes online. Last year, nearly one in five property tax payments were made securely and conveniently on our website in an average of only two minutes. Additionally, our Tax Office negotiated with a pay site vendor to reduce online transaction fees, saving taxpayer money. We cut debit card fees from 1.99% to 1.5% and credit card fees from 2.5% to 2.49%.

Social Media – The Tax Office increased engagement significantly with Hall County citizens on our primary social media platform, Facebook, in 2023.

  • Total Views increased 67.3% in 2023, Informing and updating many more residents.
  • Total Interactions (likes, shares, etc.) shot up by 413.2%, indicating increased engagement with our media campaigns and messaging.
  • Securing the URL facebook.com/HallCountyTaxCommissioner made our page easier to find and follow for important tax | tag news.

New Website Launched – In February 2023, the office debuted a new and improved website featuring an expanded library of property tax and vehicle tag information, with superb visuals and user-friendly design. Other features include online bill pay, 24/7 assistance with our AI tax tag assistant “Sidney,” and an easy online appointment system. Learn more here.

Sidney — We upgraded our AI chatbot in 2023, adding more updated information, a welcoming new interface, and a catchy name to encourage participation. Now, Sidney is available around the clock on our website, HallCountyTax.org, to answer your tax and tag questions. Need to renew your tag or make property tax payments? Just ask and Sidney will provide helpful answers or guide you to specific sections of our website for further information.

Tax Statement Design – Tax statements were redesigned to be concise, informative, and useful. Colorful, easy-to-understand graphs were added with explanations of key tax terms – all at a lower printing cost than previous years. Click Here for a better understanding of your property tax bill.

Texting Service at 833.602.8497 – Our agents quickly respond to text messages between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday – Friday. Our texting service also provides tag renewal reminders for all residents who sign up by texting TAXTAG to 833.602.8497.

Tag Office Security Upgrades – The safety and comfort of the thousands of residents who visit our Office is our highest priority. Following concerns raised by Tax Commissioner Darla Eden about office safety, the Hall County Government Center has implemented significant security upgrades for the Tax Commissioner’s Office and lobby area.

  • An additional marshal was hired in December 2022 to guard the lobby.
  • A comprehensive security assessment was conducted in January 2023,and staff received active threat training.
  • The Board of Commissioners approved $76,000 for security equipment, including key card readers installed last year, to restrict access. This enhances safety for both employees and the public.
  • Learn more here.

EFFICIENCY

Cooperation within the County – We have put processes in place to collaborate with other Hall County offices and departments to share information and support each other’s goals and objectives to serve the taxpayer with greater efficiency.

Cross Training – To serve our residents better, all Tax | Tag Agents are fully cross-trained to process both motor vehicle and property tax transactions. Cross training eliminates dual lines and minimizes total wait time by keeping the lines moving quickly and efficiently.

Compensation Study – Beginning in 2022, the Tax Commissioner’s Office participated in a countywide wage and compensation study by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia. In 2023, the Office implemented the study’s suggested changes, reducing employee turnover and increasing talent among new hires. These changes will ensure that our office remains an efficient and competitive employer.

Dealer Fleet Specialist – For our automobile dealers and businesses with fleet vehicles, a dedicated Tax | Tag Specialist serves these customers (at Window 2) with great efficiency to meet the demands of their businesses and customers. Keeping these more complex and lengthy transactions separate from individual taxpayer transactions keeps our lines moving and wait times to a minimum. Learn more here.

Due Date of Tax Statements Moved to November 15th – Many residents have stated that an earlier due date is preferred for property tax payments. Other tax commissioners around the state who have moved up their due dates report positive feedback and appreciation from their citizens and county commissioners. In the past, Hall County property tax bills were due Dec. 1. That date has been moved to Nov. 15 to be in line with residents’ preferences.

Mobile Home Decals No Longer Required – Hall County mobile-home owners are no longer required to place a decal on their residences to signify  payment of property taxes. This change is estimated to save Hall County $20,000 a year in product costs, postage, and labor. Learn more here.

More Ways to Pay – We offer numerous ways to pay tax: mail, online, office, phone, secure drop boxes (outside and inside our office) or self-service tag renewal kiosks.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Cash Management – The financial stability of Hall County, cities and schools depends on efficient cash management and operations by our office. Accounting operations are conducted as required by the state constitution in compliance with state laws. We perform internal audits daily to safeguard the integrity of public funds.

Continued Collections – We strive to be fair while exercising effective  collection procedures that result in over 99 percent payment of Hall County property taxes each year. This is largely due to our effective “Save a Trip. Skip the Line.” promotional campaign and expanded payment options.

CIMA Cash Machine — The addition of our new CIMA cash machine provides our office with bank-level technology to recognize, count, process, and secure cash payments. This technology has saved an estimated one hour per day of valuable time for our Tax | Tag Agents, and multiple hours per day for accounting staff.

Fraud Prevention – Last year, our office prioritized the protection of public funds by launching a comprehensive training program to equip our staff with the skills to effectively detect counterfeit currency. We continue to seek out methods to boost our financial security measures and ultimately safeguard taxpayer dollars.

Homeowner Tax Relief Grant (HTRG) program – Our office ensured that Hall County homeowners received much-needed tax relief under the 2023 Homeowner Tax Relief Grant (HTRG) program, established by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia General Assembly. This achievement involved meticulous record-keeping, accurate calculations, and strict adherence to state regulations by both our Property Tax and Accounting Departments. We informed homeowners about the program and the credit’s impact via detailed property tax statements as well as a promotional campaign in press, print materials, and online messaging. Learn more here.

Stewardship of Public Funds — Our practices ensure our commitment to uphold public trust while responsibly managing and allocating resources to meet our county’s needs. We have achieved our objectives while ensuring our revenue expenditures remain lower than comparably sized counties.