(KAIR)--It was a time of change for Atchison county in 2013 as Commissioners moved forward with several new projects. One of those projects was the improvement of the county's IT systems. Commission Chairman Jeff Schuele says there has been a lack of a trend in improving technology in Atchison County government in recent years, and a lot of that has to do with people not being in place who understood how to take it on. It was instrumental getting people hired in the right places to help them achieve it.

The county made a few technology changes during the year, but Schuele says the biggest upgrade was to the county's software. The old server was over seven years old and was not windows based. The upgrade will combine the county's eight software systems into one, making it a lot easier for business to be conducted.

Other changes include the implementation of new solid waste fees. Schuele says the county has been spending about $900,000 to $1.2 million on solid waste alone, and people would rather see that money spend on infrastructure for the county such as bridges and roads. What is changing is that the county is still using some of that sales tax for joint communications and solid waste, but they are also transitioning to supplementing that with solid waste fees.

The other big news for Atchison County in 2013 concerned the Neighborhood Revitalization program, which was renewed for another eight years. Schuele says that since 1999, over 24 properties in the commercial side have been above a half million dollars in valuation added.