Waldwick Borough

Challenges

Waldwick has been utilizing Edmunds’ solutions since 1997. While the software is still a staple at the borough to date, the staff has changed over the years and the new personnel were looking to implement alternative features and additional software modules to better serve their residents. During the pandemic especially, it was imperative to grow the software suite while borough residents were unable to leave their homes. Offices were closed to the public, and Waldwick changed to a temporary work-from-home platform to keep everyone safe. 

Action

The Borough has had a long-standing relationship with Edmunds for over 20 years. Waldwick’s staff first reached out to Edmunds GovTech (EGT) to discuss their current solution’s capabilities as well as what alterations and additions could be made to accommodate their new plans. After initial discussions with EGT’s Senior Implementation staff, the borough felt confident that their new plans could be fulfilled and decided to keep everything in-house with Edmunds. Parks & Recreation, Accounts Receivable/Business Licensing, and Animal Licensing were added to the borough’s software lineup to address the changes they were looking to make to meet citizen engagement demands. The AR module showed flexibility for Waldwick’s desire to implement online payments for their taxes, water, and park & ride service for their residents. 

Results

Both residents and borough staff alike benefited from the additions made by Edmunds GovTech. Tax, water, pool memberships, alarm fees, and tenant registrations were all made more efficient via EGT’s software along with the implementation of dog licensing and park & ride services. These services became available to residents online all under one account where they could view and pay their fees. Kelley Halewicz, a Municipal Clerk of 21 years, 3 years in Waldwick, and Colleen Ennis, CFO/Tax Collector of 25 years, 7 years in Waldwick, are key members of Waldwick’s staff who oversaw the new projects being implemented by Edmunds for the borough. “Edmunds was able to work with our processes to implement the online features that we wanted to make available to our citizens, and it made things much easier for our staff and residents,” said Kelley. “We found once you give people the opportunity to make payments online 24/7 in their home, that is how they will do it. There is less office traffic, and by in large, people renew their services online using EGT’s systems. It ultimately made it easier for us to do other important tasks and made things much more streamlined for the Borough.”