Cherokee County is perhaps best known for its farming, rural quiet, and peaceful shores, so it might seem contradictory that an area known so much for its nature would find itself ahead of the proverbial technology curve.

Nevertheless, it appears that some of the county's governmental agencies have entered the 21st century -- so to speak -- with surprisingly advanced technology.

Perhaps the most dramatic of all technological advances has come in the office of the revenue commissioner. For years, county employees pored over deeds, hand-drawn house diagrams, and meticulously-made Mylar maps when clarifying the county's property taxes. Now, thanks to grant money and tightened budgets, the revenue office has performed a complete technological about-face.

“We went from horse and buggy to the space shuttle,” said Revenue Commissioner John Roberts.

One of the far-reaching improvements Roberts brought to the county is the publicly-accessible Web site www.flagshipgis.com.

“Instead of 400-something maps, we now have one seamless map on the Web site,” he said.

Visitors to the Internet site can examine any of Cherokee County's 30,000 parcels of land, learning not only the landowner's name and total acreage owned, but also each parcel's total market value and the tax assessment for the property. Internet users can also zoom in and out on any county property, measure distances, and in some cases, even see house dimensions online.

“This tool offers so much more than just taxes,” Roberts said.
Another new convenience is taxpayers' ability to settle up with the county with the click of a mouse. The county now accepts payments via PayPal. This may be of some benefit to the surprisingly large number of people who own Cherokee County land, but do not live in the area.

“People in six foreign countries and in all 50 states own property in Cherokee County,” Roberts said.

Matt Sims, Cherokee County's Information Technology and Administrative Assistant, is quick to credit Roberts with the initiation of these technological advances.

“John Roberts spearheaded it,” Sims said. “He was the driving force behind the money that got funneled in.”

With a few mouse clicks at www.cherokeetagandtax.com, residents can also eliminate their yearly trip to the tag office.

“People have been able to pay for their tags online since the first of the year,” said Probate Judge Melvyn Salter.

Another branch of county administration that is reaping the rewards of new technology is the sheriff's office.

Once a person is arrested, the initial appearance before a judge -- for explanation of rights, charges, and bond amounts -- can now be conducted via video conference without the accused ever leaving the jail.

“It really helps us,” said Chief of Corrections Corey Ferguson. “It saves us from having one officer shackling as many as 10 inmates and taking them over to the courthouse. Now, the initial appearance can be done in five minutes in what once would've taken 45 minutes or more.”

Ferguson said the sheriff's department is also taking advantage of a new state system called “Alavine” that has been in place for six months or so.

“It is a victim notification system,” he said. “Say someone is convicted for domestic violence. The victim's family can register with an 800 number. When he the offender gets released, the victim's family is notified.”

Circuit Clerk Dwayne Amos is also taking advantage of new technologies to smooth the work flow in his office. The Alacourt online service is helping trim some of the time and trouble from the legal system.

“Attorneys can file motions, divorces, etc., and judges can render decisions straight to the attorneys through e-mail” with the new system, Amos said. Civil and criminal appeals can also be filed online, saving not only time but mass amounts of paper.

Though Alacourt is not open to the public, Amos said citizens are able to pay court costs, traffic tickets, and get passports by visiting http://9JC.alacourt. gov/Cherokee/.

“It's fascinating for a county of our size,” said Salter. “We have some things that are more advanced than other counties.”