BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- As Jefferson County Revenue Department lines continue to stretch into Linn Park, commissioners want the problem solved by the end of the summer, a deadline County Manager Tony Petelos called aggressive but doable.

"The largest county in the state should not have the poorest service," Commissioner Jimmie Stephens said Wednesday. "We expect changes."

Revenue Director Travis Hulsey said that the department is upgrading its computer and software. The county has narrowed down a possible supplier to two vendors, and a new system should be in place by Aug. 1, when commissioners want the lines shortened.

But technology is not the only issue. Customer service is just as important, commissioners said.

The department has hired two new employees to replace employees fired after they were discovered taking bribes to move customers to the front of the line, and it is working to fill four more vacancies.

Hulsey said that the department has been encouraging staff to be more polite and has been considering adding suggestion boxes at the end of the line.

"With a three or four-hour wait time, I can tell you what will be in the box," Commissioner Joe Knight said.

Petelos said that the county should have the changes fully in place by September.