« Ind. Courts - "Apathy ensnarls courts, irks judges: Witnesses appear in slippers, if at all" | Main | Ind. Courts - "Changes could reshape the face of Indiana's courts" »

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Ind. Gov't. - Tippecanoe County Assessor's "software plea rebuffed"

From the Lafayette Journal Courier today, this story by Dorothy Schneider:

The Tippecanoe County commissioners denied a request from county assessor Samantha Steele for new software to process personal property taxes.

Steele said her staff has faced recurring issues trying to complete personal property work through the Manitron software purchased in the spring, which was part of a conversion from an outdated software system used by the assessor's, auditor's and treasurer's offices.

"As much as the county's paying for that software, it should be working for us. And it's not," Steele said.

But after lengthy discussion, none of the three commissioners made a motion to grant the assessor's request.

Commissioner Tom Murtaugh said he'd like to see better communication between the assessor's office and Manitron officials, two of whom were at Monday's meeting and promised better customer assistance.

Steele expressed frustration, though, and told the commissioners that it's a waste of money to continue with the current software contract. She wants to go with AS2 software, which she said would cost half of what the county is paying -- $9,000 -- in annual maintenance fees.

Murtaugh and the other commissioners said they don't want to throw away the money they've already invested in the Manitron software. Plus they didn't want the county to pay another $8,500 up front to purchase AS2 software.

Some of the Steele's concerns over the Manitron software are: problems with retrieving and retaining data, a gap in the county's mobile home records and delays in getting help from the company's customer service people.

Murtaugh said he wants to see the assessor's office continue working with the software for at least six months to see if the problems from the transition can get worked out.

See also this story from Montgomery County.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on November 17, 2009 09:07 AM
Posted to Indiana Government