Press Release

A SPEEDIER WAY TO PAY YOUR TICKETS

Fast, secure, convenient - 'Pay Tickets' is newest online service at www.oakgov.com

Rochester Hills, Michigan, December 9, 2003 -- Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, Honorable Julie A. Nicholson, Chief Judge, 52nd District Court and Phil Bertolini, director of Oakland County's Department of Information Technology, today announced that the Oakland County Web site (http://www.oakgov.com) has launched a new service that provides a secure online payment system by credit card for paying certain civil infraction tickets from the four divisions of the 52nd District Court.

"We are quickly expanding our Web site to include services that everyone can use and benefit from," said Mr. Patterson. "This service is an excellent example of how we're implementing technology to simplify general tasks and processes while bringing added convenience and value to our citizens."

To access this new service, click the "Online Services" link found across the top of the site. From there, you'll see a "Pay Tickets" link under the 'Courts' heading. Those paying tickets online will enter their ticket number and last name, or their driver's license number and last name. Individuals may pay for one or several civil infraction tickets by using a MasterCard or Visa.

"Collectively, the four divisions of the 52nd District Court handle approximately 106,000 civil infractions annually," said Judge Nicholson. "The 'Pay Tickets' feature provides convenience for the respondent by allowing them to pay their ticket at any time prior to the due date."

The launch of this service represents another achievement in Oakland County's ongoing eGovernment Initiative. "By using technology to facilitate these routine transactions in a 'self-service' environment, we can do more with less - meaning we can use our valuable internal resources for tasks that need more personal attention, whether it's face-to-face service or enhancing programs that serve our citizens," explained Mr. Bertolini.

The online ticket payment service is safe and secure to use. The County's Web site has the same fully-redundant firewalls and monitoring systems found in some of the largest and most secure sites ever developed. Consistent with the County's Privacy Policy, no personal information is collected or stored about any of our online customers.

In addition to the new 'Pay Tickets' service, the Oakland County Web site now allows Annual Vehicle Permits for County parks and County map products to be ordered online. An upcoming project will soon make it possible to pay taxes online.

Find out more about eGovernment and access Oakland County's eGovernment Strategic Plan online at http://www.oakgov.com/egov. For more information, contact Phil Bertolini, Director, Department of Information Technology at 248-858-0814.