Butler County's government services are moving toward mobile.

County commissioners unanimously approved an agreement Wednesday that will incorporate a mobile application into county services.

“I think it's great customer service,” said Commissioner Kevin Boozel. “I think it's important for the county to stay relevant in the community.”

The agreement is with CivicPlus to build a customizable mobile app at an upfront cost of $800 and annual maintenance cost of $1,389.

Commissioner Chairwoman Leslie Osche said the costs involved were reasonable and were less than the commissioners anticipated.

Jim Venturini, the county's director of IT, said the application should roll out at the same time as the redesigned website, which could be as early as March.

The app would be available through devices' app stores.

Venturini said the app and website will be heavily integrated and share many of the same functions, including notifications, calendar tracking and document availability.

“Looking on the app, there's a 'pay my bill' functionality,” Venturini said. “If there's a department that needs that functionality, we could add that to it.”

Venturini said there are still some design elements to work out, but the company with which they now have an agreement allows for customization based on the county's needs.

“We really haven't gotten to the meat of things,” he said.

Boozel said the new phone application will be a good way to engage young people.

“They're just trying to make it easier,” Boozel said.