How a County Saved Money While Supporting Priorities
Organization Profile
- Industry: County
- Tyler Client Since: 2024
- Number of Employees: 3,000
- Population: 375,752
- Location: Collier County, Florida
- Tyler Products/Solutions Used: Priority Based Budgeting
- Tyler Excellence Award Winner: Data and Transparency
Lowering Taxes and Improving Efficiency
After more than a decade of rising costs and annual property tax hikes, Collier County, Florida, faced a decisive moment. Residents wanted change, and county leaders found themselves grappling with a complex web of challenges. With more than 600 separate county services, recurring budget growth, and deeply ingrained practices, it became clear that only a fundamental transformation would restore long-term fiscal discipline and deliver genuine value to the community.
Collier County property taxes had increased for 13 consecutive years, fueling resident dissatisfaction and eroding public trust. Services had multiplied across departments, resulting in significant overlap, including duplicate work and mounting inefficiency. Budgeting had become a cycle driven by incremental annual increases, with spending rising to meet inflation or expanded service demands. But it was not explicitly tied to actual community priorities or measured outcomes. In response, elected officials responded with a mandate for lower taxes and more efficient government.
“We had to do something radical to begin the process,” said Chris Hall, county commissioner. Hall and fellow commissioners tackled the issue, working late into the night to approve a plan to hold taxes steady while making tough spending cuts. They then began searching for a tech company they could partner with to reshape Collier County’s future financial operations.
Data-Informed Transformation and Strategic Resource Allocation
In their search, Collier County leaders focused on finding a partner with experience in public sector transformation. After evaluating several options, the county selected Tyler Technologies for its public sector experience and its Priority Based Budgeting solution.
“Our experience with Tyler has far exceeded our expectations,” said Hall. “The team listens, engages, and genuinely cares. Tyler gave our staff the confidence, the tools, and the guidance needed to make lasting, data-driven change.”
Using Tyler’s Priority Based Budgeting solution, Collier County established a framework to assess every service offered, scoring more than 600 county programs for cost, impact, and legal mandate. Through AI-powered analysis and ROI optimization reports, the county was able to pinpoint $40 million in immediate savings, consolidate departments, and redirect resources to programs that aligned with both government and public priorities.
Hall explained, “By using artificial intelligence, setting up a dialogue, and making decisions with data, we were able to move forward fairly rapidly.”
The priority-based budgeting process required a significant shift in mindset and practice, particularly for team members who had spent decades working within the old systems. To make a successful transition, Collier County invested in targeted workshops and engagement, empowering employees to take ownership of new data and models.
“The innovation from the data allowed us to make decisions that were not emotional,” said Hall.
The county also used the platform to identify opportunities for public-private partnerships for projects and smart-fee structures. This created new revenue streams while better aligning county assets with community needs. In its first year, Collier County partnered with outside organizations to invest $16 million in asset development, including sports and recreation facilities.
Through steady engagement and commitment to transparency, the budget managers and county leaders moved away from the status quo, setting clearer guardrails for resource allocation and program strategies. The county’s budgeting workshops soon became venues for collaboration, with stakeholders and residents beginning to see the impacts firsthand.
The investment we made with Priority Based Budgeting has returned itself over and over. Even in the first year, just by going through the motions and identifying changes of resources and consolidations and getting rid of our redundancies, that paid for itself.
Chris Hall
County Commissioner, Collier County, Florida
Tax Relief, Sustainable Investments in Priorities
Collier County’s results were immediate and sustained. Property taxes remained unchanged for two straight years, halting 13 years of increases.
The initial priority-based budgeting effort unlocked $40 million in savings, all without eliminating essential services. A total of $150 million in redirected resources allowed for strategic investment in high-impact programs and the consolidation of overlapping departments.
Staff reported that decisions were faster and more precise. Commissioners and managers gained the confidence and practical tools needed to keep Collier County fiscally responsible and responsive to evolving public needs.
“The investment we made with the Priority Based Budgeting has returned itself over and over,” said Hall. “Even in the first year, just by going through the motions and identifying changes of resources and consolidations and getting rid of our redundancies, that paid for itself.”