How Nashua, NH Built a Single Accounting and User-Friendly Payment Option for Vital Records and Licensing

The City of Nashua, New Hampshire is a growing municipality serving more than 91,000 residents. As service expectations evolved and online transactions became increasingly common, the City Clerk’s Office faced growing demand across essential functions, including vital records, licensing, and payment intake. 

With a small staff responsible for managing thousands of transactions each year, the department recognized that traditional, paper-heavy, and decentralized payment methods limited both staff capacity and residents’ options for engagement. In 2012, the City Clerk’s Office proactively adopted a centralized payment platform to modernize how payments were accepted and managed. 

Since implementation, Nashua has seen a clear shift, with more residents making payments online or by phone and fewer delays tied to manual processing. Internally, staff gained clearer insight into payment activity and were able to reallocate time previously spent on reconciliation and follow-up toward higher-value service and support for the community. 

Led by City Clerk Daniel Healey, the department’s six staff members manage a high volume of transactions, including more than 11,000 dog license renewals each year. Meeting this level of demand while maintaining accuracy, responsiveness, and service quality required careful use of limited time and resources.

Previously, payments and applications were handled across multiple systems. Residents encountered higher fees and inconsistent submission experiences, while staff spent significant time re-entering data, tracking down incomplete paperwork, and manually reconciling payments.

Vital records requests often required follow-up to obtain missing documentation, and license renewals were largely manual, with staff keying in hundreds of transactions, sometimes extending workdays to keep pace.

Limited visibility into daily collections and disconnected reporting added another layer of complexity, making reconciliation more time-consuming.

To address these challenges, the City Clerk’s Office implemented Neumo Payments to centralize the management of submissions and payments across services. By bringing online, in-person, and phone payments into a single system, the City Clerk’s Office improved visibility into transactions and reduced manual processing.

Residents now have clear instructions, more consistent payment options, and lower fees, while staff can quickly confirm payment status, track fulfillment, and access reports without moving between systems.

Workflows were also redesigned to reduce errors and the need for follow-up. Online license renewals now combine submissions and payments into one step, and vital records requests require complete documentation before payment is accepted.

Together, these changes created a more consistent experience for residents and strengthened the City Clerk’s Office’s ability to manage high transaction volumes with a small team.

Since adopting a centralized approach to payments and submissions, Nashua has seen a clear shift toward online engagement, faster turnaround times for vital records and licensing, and improved day-to-day operational visibility. Requiring complete applications before payment has reduced confusion and follow-up, resulting in fewer calls about missing documentation or payment issues.

Residents can now pay online, by phone, or in person through a single secure system, and most transactions can be completed in minutes. For staff, real-time dashboards provide daily insight into collections and fulfillment, making it easier to monitor volume, forecast daily workloads, and optimize staff work time. Payment reconciliation is faster and more consistent, with fewer discrepancies across services.

Automation and bulk processing have had a measurable impact on licensing operations, reducing fulfillment time by 75%. Staff no longer need to manually enter each renewal and can process hundreds of payments with a few clicks, allowing more time to focus on responsive service, planning, and community needs.

For the City Clerk’s Office, the focus remains on supporting a growing community through stable operations, high resident satisfaction, and responsive services. With a modern payments foundation in place, the team is prioritizing increased online engagement and broader awareness of digital services through public-facing channels.

“We’re set up the way we want to be,” said Healey. “Now we’re focused on getting more people to use the online services—it’s easier for everyone.