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The city council approved a shared services agreement that should save the town 65 percent of its tax assessing software costs, according to city manager Terence Reidy.

The council unanimously approved a resolution at its Sept. 5 meeting authorizing the city to join Monmouth County’s tax assessment software program.

“It’s a more transparent system, and easily accessible,” Reidy said.

The move will save the city about $5,000 per year, according to tax assessor Eric Aguilar, mostly due to a lower base contract price. The city’s previous software provider, Vital, would have cost $7,600. The new program will cost $2,600 to $2,700 per year, Aguilar said.

Also, the county is providing the software services for the remainder of this year free of charge.

The new system will allow the tax assessor to share information among all the city’s departments, Reidy said, including the tax collector and construction offices, “who need real-time information to do jobs.”

It will also be easier for citizens to access the information, Reidy said.

The cost of the software is 65-percent lower than the system the city used previously, Reidy said.

The council members present at the Sept. 5 meeting — Mayor Ed Johnson, Councilman Kevin Sanders and Councilwoman Sue Henderson — approved the measure unanimously.

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[UPDATE: This version of the article contains information on pricing that was not yet available upon first publication.]

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