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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2004.03.04 - 27581MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION #04052 March 4, 2004 BY: FINANCE COMMITTEE, CHUCK MOSS, CHAIRPERSON IN RE: DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT & BUDGET/EQUALIZATION AUTHORIZING THE EQUALIZATION DIVISION AND DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO ENTER INTO A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT WITH BS&A SOFTWARE TO THE OAKLAND COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: WHEREAS the financial burden to maintain and sustain the County's mainframe tax and assessment systems currently used by the Equalization Division and the subscribing local cities, villages and townships (CVTs) has become cost prohibitive; and WHEREAS the Oakland County Equalization Division and Department of Information Technology have been exploring opportunities to reduce this "total cost of ownership" and at the same time increase system functionality provided to the Equalization Division and the subscribing local CVTs; and WHEREAS the results of this exploration demonstrated that the leading provider of assessment and taxation systems in the State of Michigan and Oakland County is BS&A Software; (see attached corporate profile of BS&A); and WHEREAS BS&A Software has indicated willingness to provide its assessment and taxation systems to Oakland County and the subscribing local CVTs; and WHEREAS the Oakland County Equalization Division and subscribing CVTs support the implementation County Equalization Division will reduce system costs to available and will available review of BS&A Software; and WHEREAS the implementation of BS&A Software Oakland County and subscribing CVTs; and WHEREAS funding for the BS&A implementation is the Information Technology Fund Land Management/GIS supplemented by CRIMP funding from the Equalization General Fund Designated Fund Balance (9407-08000); and WHEREAS the contract with BS&A Software is subject approval from Corporation Counsel. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners hereby approves the appropriation of CRIMP funds for the BS&A implementation and the FY2004 Budget is amended as follows: currently budget Division to and in be in General Fund (101) Non-Departmental 90-190000-14000-1582 Equalization 12-340000-98636-8001 Transfer Out Information Technology Fund (636) 18-636113-98101-1701 Transfer In 18-636172-95901-3348 Prof. Services $89,388 $89,388 $ -0- $89,388 89,388 Prior Year Balance $ -0- BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners hereby approves the negotiation, by the Directors of Information Technology and Management & Budget, of a sole source contract with BS&A Software. Chairperson, on behalf of the Finance Committee, I move the adoption of the foregoing resolution. FINANCE COMMITTEE ,/1/60,fr FINANCE COMMITTEE: Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Palmer and Long absent. MEMO DATE: FEBRUARY 12, 2004 TO: OAKLAND COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS FROM: R. SCOTT OPPMANN, CHIEF LAND MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES DAVE HIEBER, MANAGER EQUALIZATION DIVISION CC: PHIL BERTOLINI BUDGET TASK FORCE DALE KUKLA RICK VINCENT SUBJECT: BS&A SOFTWARE SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT JUSTIFICATION Over the last six months, representatives from Information Technology and the Equalization Division have explored opportunities to reduce the County's assessment / equalization system "Total Cost of Ownership" and at the same time increase functionality provided to the Equalization Division and local cities, villages, and townships (CVTs). As this research has concluded, it has become apparent that the leading provider of assessment and taxation systems in the State of Michigan and Oakland County is BS&A Software Systems. BS&A Corporate Overview BS&A Software Systems is widely recognized as the leader in the Michigan Municipal Software market. More than 20 different software products are offered by BS&A for municipal agencies around the state. These products range from Assessing, Tax Receivables, Building Permitting, and Fund Accounting to Cemetery Management. With 1,500+ customers using their products, BS&A has demonstrated continued success in addressing their customers' needs. In spite of their industry-leading position, they maintain an entrepreneurial culture that allows for the continuous improvement of each of their software modules. 6 Statewide Strength in the Assessment and Taxation Market Place Section 211.42a of THE GENERAL PROPERTY TAX ACT (Act 206 of 1893) requires that the computerized database used to generate the tax roll be certified by the State Tax Commission. BS&A is certified by the State Tax Commission and continues to maintain its status as changes to the property tax law are made. It's estimated that of the over 2,000 Certified Assessors (80%) in the state use BS&A's Assessing Systems. Additional statistics that demonstrate BS&A's strength in the market place include: • Approximately 87% of the state's parcel count is managed using BS&A's Systems. • Approximately 84% of the State Equalized Value (SEV) is calculated using BS&A Systems. • 1139 of the 1514 CVTs in the state use BS&A's Assessing Systems. This represents a market share of 75%. • 53 of the 83 Counties in the state use BS&A's Equalization Systems. This represents a market share of 66%. • Many large communities (City of Detroit, Kent County, etc.) have migrated, or are in the process of migrating, to BS&A. This demonstrated strength in the assessment and taxation market translates directly into reduced training needs for assessors in the Equalization Division. It also promotes continuous improvement in the BS&A product which translates into software improvements that can be leveraged at no cost by Oakland County's assessment community. Countywide Strength in the Assessment and Taxation Market Place There are two predominant assessment system providers in Oakland County. They are; Oakland County Information Technology and BS&A Software Systems. Only one community (Brandon Township) in the County uses a system other than those mentioned above. If one analyzes the percentage of real property parcels and SEV in each system, the numbers are almost split fifty-fifty. But a more telling statistic is the growing trend towards migration from the County's system and to BS&A. Over the last five years, almost 25% of the parcel count in Oakland County has migrated from the county's assessment systems to BS&A. This recent trend includes the Cities of Farmington Hills, Rochester Hills, Southfield and Troy. 2 The Equalization Division and Information Technology would like to prepare a sole source contract with BS&A for the assessment and taxation systems. The selection of BS&A, and migration to the systems they provide, is the only reasonable business decision and will afford Oakland County and subscribing CVTs a multitude of business benefits. 4 The migration of CVTs from Oakland County's assessment systems to BS&A presents several problems. First, as CVTs abandon the county system and move to an independent system, the cost model adopted by the County for use of its systems becomes less effective. Consequently, the financial burden unduly falls on the County (via Equalization System Charges) to support the aging mainframe system. Over the last five years, the Equalization Division's financial burden has amounted to approximately $3 million. Second, as CVTs abandon the county system and move to an independent system, the opportunity to integrate data for assessing, equalization, land management, and eGovemment functions becomes increasingly more difficult and costly. For example, the County spends approximately $20,000 a year supporting the integration of assessment data maintained by CVTs using BS&A software. This cost can be avoided in the future when the County migrates to BS&A BS&A Staff Committed to Legislative and Technological Changes BS&A has several certified Assessors that are dedicated to the currency of their software applications. This dedication results in timely changes to the assessment and taxation applications being distributed to its user community at no cost. In addition, a continued dedication to technical improvements in their software applications means that the County can begin moving away from internally supported systems and leverage the technical enhancements provided by BS&A. This will result in tremendous resource and monetary savings to the County. BS&A Committed to Outstanding Customer Support Throughout the Assessment and Taxation community, BS&A is well known for its outstanding customer support. This commitment is reflected in support response, and timely software upgrades. County Led BS&A Migration Offers a More Cost Effective Solution to CVTs Currently, the County annually charges approximately 36 CVTs $199,211 to use IT's assessment system. This is an ongoing cost to the communities that is billed directly to the CVT by IT, or is included in assessing contracts with the Equalization Division. The migration to BS&A will allow the county to reduce these costs. Preliminary discussions indicate that support fees for those same 36 CVTs will be around $49,801. This represents a tremendous savings to local CVTs during difficult budget times. Summary A Return on Investment (ROI) has been generated for the BS&A Migration and is attached for further reference. In addition, letters of support from several local assessors have also been attached. 3 360 FEB-12-2004 THU 03112 MOAKLAND ONTY F1SCALSERV FAX NO. 248 858- 9724 . P. 01 For PIO 1111 Commissioners Minutes Continued. Jene 28, 2001 110 ramS NOT ON PRINTED AGENDA NIP peANNINO AND BU/LING COMMITTEE NIP d. Certificatiot of Available Disposal Capacity Act 451 Non-Razardous Solid Wastes, Spring 2001 • 110 (Reason for suspension for Planning and Building Committee, item d: Waiver IIP of Rule XII.C. - Planning and Building Committee meeting immediately before Board meeting). NIP NIP Vote On agenda, as amended: AYES: Amos, Brian, Buckley, Crawford, Dingeldey, Douglas, Galloway, 110 Garfield, Gregory, Law, McPherzon, Melton, Millard, Moffitt, Moss, Obrecht, 110 Palmer, Patterson, Sever, Suarez, Taub, Webster. (22) NIP gees! None. (0) 010 • A sufficient majority having voted' therefor, the motion to reespend the rules and amend the agenda carried, Chairperson Millard introduced Drain Commissioner Jahn McCulloch, who in turn introduced representatives from Rubbell, Roth & Clark, who did a 1110 presentation on the award winning Minnow Pond Drain Project. Commissioner Patterson introduced his grandchildren Lauren Jacobsen and 110 Scott Davidsoa, outstanding students graduating with honors from Oxford High. School. 111 James VanLeuven presented to Commissioner Palmer and Chairperson Millard, plaques recognizing tih years of aervece, MISCELLANROUS RESOLUTION #01168 .BY: Finance committee, Sue Ann Douglas, Chairperson IN RE: DEPARTMENT Op' MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET/EQUALIZATION DIVISION - CRIMP PROGRAM SAVINGS: DELIMIoN or FOUR (4) POSITIONS To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: • WREREAS pursuant to Miscellaneous Resolution #93106, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners' approved the Cost Reduction Incentive Management Program (CRIMP) to encourage cost reduotions and increase the productivity and economic delivery of public services; and WHEREAS the Equalization Division has mounted a concerted effort to employ labor-eaving technology in the delivery of assessing and equalization strvices; and WHEREAS as a result of these initiatives, funded from the Designated Fund Balance for Operation Improvements, the County Executive's Recommended Sladifst for Fiscal Years 2002/2003 includes the deletion of the following four (4) General Fund/General Purpoee positions -in the Equalization Division: . Position Number Classification Salary/Fringe 12501-02520 Equal. Appraiser II - Cert. $ $8,305 12501-07890 Clerk /I 12501-07938 Clerk II 12501-05312 Appraiser Aide Total er sr. or 'Iv II1111( .31,528 33,399 53,866 ' ; 177,098 WHEREAS the position reductions result in an annual savings of.$177,098 and are considered recurring savings under the CRIMP Program. <<>>. Oakland County -- << Equalize. , Appraisal Implementation>> Return on Investment Analysis As Of: «IL._ .A3» Project Summa I Description Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 I Total Benefits/Savings: Tangible Benefits Subtotal: 0 955,186 955,186 955,186 955,186 955,186 4,775,930 Cost Avoidance Subtotal: 626,326 626,326 626,326 626,326 626,326 626,326 3,757,956 Costs: Development Services Subtotal: 220,865 72,865 72,865 0 0 0 366,595 Hardware Subtotal: 50,000 0 0 0 0 0 50,000 - Software Subtotal: 130,947 130,947 130,947 49,105 49,105 49,105 540,156 Infrastructure Subtotal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Training Subtotal: 45,000 0 0 0 0 0 45,000 Other Subtotal: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - f 'i ',7150'.q.';, _1i n;n4. Annual Statistics: Annual Total Savings 626,326 1,581,512 1,581,512 1,581,512 1,581,512 1,581,512 8,533,886 Annual Total Costs 446,812 203,812 203,812 49,105 49,105 49,105 1,001,751 Annual Return on Investment 179,514 1 377,700 1,377,700 1,532,407 1,532,407 1,532,407 7,532,135 Annual Costs/Savings Ratio 71.34% 12.89% 12.89% 3.10% 3.10% 3.10% , .13,mkskciParoacfemzir :-,. ,-: .4., .=, „,,,,,,,1„,,,,-. .4 . ... - vstivitt.:1 Pro ect Cumulative Statistics: Cumulative Total Savings 626,326 2,207,838 3,789,350 5,370,862 6,952,374 8,533,886 8,533,886 Cumulative Total Costs 446,812 650,624 854,436 903,541 952,646 1,001,751 1,001,751 _ Cumulative Return on Investment 179,514 1,557,214 2,934,914 4,467 321 5,999,728 7,532,135 7,532,135 Cumulative Cost/Savings Ratio 71.34% 29.47% 22.55% 16.82% 13.70% 11.74% 11.74% Year Positive Pa back Achieved Year 1 Year 1 State or Federal Mandate? ::•q,--‘4,,,,-:-:5.t.F.Az..,,tr:kx " ,...:, . - - 7....,-.4 .,, _., , ,e, • ,. ,-... ,11 ,---... -- . 1 t, 't 4: -- •P' ' -Pr, - v • f"•-•'-' - _.- - Si. natures: Benefits Reviewed By Project Sponsor Date: Costs (including IT Resources) Reviewed By Information Technology Project Manager Date: Costs (including IT Resources) Reviewed By Technical Services Manager Date: Page 1 Return on Investment Analysis Template.xls FEB-12-2004 THU 03:13 PM OAKLAND CNTY FISCAL SERV ' FAX NO, 248 858 9724 F. 02 • r .Commissionera Minutes Continued. June 28, 2001 NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners authorizes the Equalization Division's utilization of the cost Reduction Incentive Management Program (CRIMP) in the amount of $177,098 in recognition of the savings related to the deletion of four (4) General Fund/General Purpose positions as recommended in the County Executive's proposed budget for Fiscal Years 2002/2003. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the General Fund portion of the resultant saving o be credited to the Designated Fund Balance for Operational Improvements (Account #9407-01000). Chairperson, on behalf of the.Finance Committee, I move adoption of the foregoing resolution. FINANCE COMMITTER Moved by DOuglas supported by Dingeldey the resolution be adopted. AYES: Brian, Buckley, Crawford, DingeIdey, Douglas, Galloway, Garfield, Gregory, Law, McPherson, Melton, Millard, Moffitt, Moss, Obrecht, Palmer, Patterson, Sever, Suarez, Tent, Webster, Amos. (22) NAYS: None, (0) A sufficient majority having voted therefor, the resolution was adopted- .. MISCELLANEOUS ERSOLUTTOW #01169 BY; Finance Committee, Sue Ann Douglas, Chairperson IN. RE: oAELAND COUNTY JUVENILE ACCOUNTANTLITT INCENTIVE BLOCE GRANT ACCEPTANCE (akrBG) To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: WHEREAS Oakland County submitted a multi-departmental grant application under the Fiscal Year 2001 Juvenile .Accountability Incentive Block Grant Program to the Michigan Family Independence Agency fer assistance in increasing the accountability of juvenile criminal offenders; and WHEREAS the Michigan Family Independence Agency Approved the application Find awarded Oakland County a federal pass-through grant totaling $602,142 of which $541,928 is from the State, as a Federal pass-through, and the balance, $60,214 is the County's match amount; and WHEREAS the grant award provides continued funding of the Fiscal Year 2000 programs and for the creation of four (4) new positions which include one (1) SR Probation . Officer I position for the Prosecutor's Teen Court Program, one (I) SR Para-legal position for the Prosecutor's Teen Court Program, one (1) SR Community corrections Specialist I position for the Community Correction'e In-Step Program and one (1) Social Worker T. position for Prosecutor's School Violence Program; and WHEREAS the award also provide e funding for the operating and other expenses related to these positions and programs; and WHEREAS the Community Corrections Division and the Prosecuting Attorney are experiencing favorable controllable personnel variances through the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2001 due to turnover, and the Circuit Court is experiencing favorable controllable operating variances through the same time period due to improved defense attorney payments; and WNEREAS this favorability can be used to cover the required County match; and 361 City Assessor JAN 3 0 2004 Council Henry V. Knight James D. McDonald Mayor Pro-tern Daniel L. Pillsbury Otis Newkirk Kay L. Sendegas Robert Kittle Mayor Mari Harvey -Edwards City of Auburn Hills 1827 N. Squirrel Rd. • Auburn Hills, MI 48326-2753 Phone: (248) 370-9400 Fax: (248) 370-9348 ' N :"slla ON January 28, 2004 David Hieber, Administrator Equalization Division 250 Elizabeth Lake Rd, Ste 1000 West Pontiac, Mi. 48341 Re: E q ualizer Appraisal 'Systern , Dear Dave;:.,,,,e,,,-.475,te)f-- , . tat, It isinyi:frpe Abarga'klafid:CoutityzCeritiiii:147ihepIn to convert the present appraisal s ystem to the Equalize&prOdatit.1,§4is,;14:idie:cUtretifli44gigar:,aia_af Ilir`ogram that we have used for years has served us WOilY§Iii-Vf4eiltktitilip,:,t6moy08.4_6rUrfent teblinology. The 'Equa4er. softwareast)edoMe thede-facto standard for assessors in Michi gan, and it provides the user vith a desktop platform Tiii":givesftheigers- greater ;flexibility and control. I believe the increaiSe4vrodimliikj.of this platform will Ofsetethe costs of the-ya risition. rf-3 Sincel'eVe: — orj. Benne ''AsSes.$ -.5stOfie(246)364P6.611Y47.v cc: Phillip Bertolini, Director Information Technolo gy g r. 1., • orZrr::_ THE CHAit5T4R TOWNSA"- OMMERCE 2840 FISHER Fr L FEB 1 0 2004 TRUSTEES ROBERT J. LONG CHERYL MAGALSKI DANIEL P. MUNRO if RICK SOVEL THOMAS K. ZONEFI SUPERVISOR SANDRA S. ABRAMS CLERK SUSAN L. GROSS TREASURER MIIIIIMMOMOrear '41114111011Pr COMM 016 Y r " February 9, 2004 EQUA: Assessing 960-7030 Building 960-7060 Clerk 960-7020 Panning 960-7050 Supervisor 960-7070 Treasurer 960-7040 David Hieber, Manager Oakland County Equalization Division Oakland Pointe Office Building 250 Elizabeth Lake Road, Suite 1000W Pontiac, MI 48341 Dear Dave Hieber, Just to let you know, I recommend having the county convert to the BSA Equalizer system. It's user friendly, you can search by owner name, parcel number, address, and you can create reports using Report Writing. I think Equalizer is a great system! Sincerely, Kathleen J. Po6arch. Director of Assessing /dr cc: Thomas K. Zoner, Commerce Township Supervisor County Commissioner Message rage i or Dave Hieber From: Tom Zoner [tzoner@commercetwp.com] Sent: Monday, February 09, 2004 5:41 PM To: droman@commercetwp.com ; hieberd@co.oakland.mi.us Cc: 'Kathy Pogarch' Subject: RE: EQUALIZER SYSTEM Please note that Commerce Township had the Equilizer program and found it to be user friendly. We recommend the County convert their program to BSA. Thomas Zoner, Supervisor. Original Message From: Debra Roman [mailto:droman@commercetwp.corn] Sent: Monday, February 09, 2004 10:33 AM To: hieberd@co.oakland.mi.us Cc: Kathy Pogarch; Tom Zoner Subject: EQUALIZER SYSTEM Please read the attached letter 2/10/2004 LS (248) 871-2470 Fax (248) 871-2471 Assessors Office City of Farmington Hills City of Farmington Hills 31555 Eleven Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48336-1165 February 2, 2004 David Heiber, Equalization Director Phil Bertolini, IT Director Oakland County Equalization Department 250 Elizabeth Lake Rd, Suite 1000 W. Pontiac, MI 48341 via email — Dear Dave and Phil, I have been asked to write a letter in regards to our experiences with the conversion to BS & A Equalizer from the County appraisal system and our overall impressions of the system to date. To that end, please accept the following: While we are still in the process of finalizing our first assessment roll with Equalizer, I do have to say that I am pleased up to this point. We actually started with the conversion process in July by the time that all of the IT folks got together but the process was relatively seamless and painless. On first blush, we converted to within 1% of our existing values. Not being satisfied with looking at overall numbers, we created a report to review the individual results. In doing so we discovered some minor problems with the conversion process that we have already discussed. Mainly there is a problem with the bathroom area pricing that will require you to review each parcel by hand. )verall, however, I am extremely pleased with the BS&A system. For most assessing units it is allows for a great improvement in the assessing practices. In Farmington Hills, we were already doing most of the things that Equalizer allows you to do but it is so much easier to do them within Equalizer. It has a great report writing feature and allows for a query in any data field which is nice for us. At this time I have only found two areas that still concern me and I wish could be incorporated into Equalizer. The first area is in the land file. Because of the history of the Oakland County Land file, currently on SLND, if a deleted parcel number is typed in, there is a small note that appears to tell when the parcel was deleted and what new parcels were created. In the conversion, only the active parcels come in and this little bit of history is gone. It can be maintained for the future by adding this information in the legal description, but we have lost the parcel history. Similarly, the information that currently resides in ETH1 is gone as well. We have worked with BS&A to extract the history into the Current data base and it appears we have accomplished this, but after Board of Review, we are going to have to create at least two historic databases in order to get an assessment and taxable history back to 1994 which we need. It would be great to have a separate BS&A database that mirrors the ETH1 screen but that would require a massive programming effort at BS&A and that does not appear likely at this time. Other than this, I have to say that I believe the Equalizer program is an improvement over our experience with the County system. This is somewhat difficult to say in as much as I have been associated with the County since I came into the assessment profession in 1974. I guess even old dogs can learn new tricks. I hope this information is helpful to you both. Dean E. Babb, Assessor City of Farmington Hills B- TOWNSHIP OFFICES (248) 625-5111 FAX: (248) 625-2585 DALE A. STUART Supervisor 'AN E. McCRARY JAMES R. WENGER Treasurer TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES DAMEL J KELLY LARRY ROSSO DANIEL F. TRAVIS DAVID H. WAGNER CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF INDEPENDENCE 90 NORTH MAIN STREET F.O. BOX 69 CLARKSTON, MICHIGAN 48347-0069 www.twp.independence.mi.us February 5, 2004 TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: The Independence Township Assessor's Office has employed the Equalizer software created by BS&A since 1991. Prior to 1991 we used a program called Micro Science that was created and written by Professor Skaff of Wayne State University. Originally we purchased from BS&A a DOS version of this assessment/appraisal program, and converted to the Windows version in 1999. Within this office we have the assessor, four appraisers, and 1.5 clerical personnel. All employees in this office use the BS&A software throughout the course of each day's work. We have found the assessing program to be the most user-friendly assessing and appraisal program available on the market. The appraisers collect their data in the field, return to the office and do their own data entry into the Equalizer program, their own data entry into an Apex sketch program, and download digital photos directly into Equalizer. This allows the appraiser to instantly view the effect of their data entry on the resultant value of a parcel prior to saving the information. This promotes greater efficiency in appraisal, and prevents over and under pricing of components that lend to total property value, which translates to higher quality appraisal and resultant assessments. From an assessment point of view the assessor has instantaneous command of the assessment roll, and all required reports thereto. The assessor can run any and all state required reports directly from his/her desktop. When establishing values for the forthcoming assessment cycle, the assessor, by use of the Equalizer program, can always ascertain the total values within any classification of property, and their ratio of assessment to true cash values in the marketplace. The Equalizer program has built-in report-writer features which allow any employee in the office so designated to write almost any report imaginable to assist office staff in producing efficient assessment administration. Locally the Equalizer program can be downloaded to the treasurer's office, which has the BS&A Tax program. From this the treasurer creates the tax roll, including all ad valorem tax rolls and special assessment rolls. From the building department's BS&A Building Permitting program, all building permits applied for are downloaded directly into the assessing office's Equalizer program, thus eliminating duplication of keypunching and photocopying of building permits. The support provided by the staff at BS&A is available, competent, concerned, and courteous. Their response to new State legislation is immediate. They are also always open-minded and responsive to suggestions as to how to improve their product. The Equalizer program is easy to use, efficient in its operation, thorough in its scope of service, and a pleasure to use. If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to discuss the Equalizer program, please feel free to contact either myself or my deputy at 248-625-8114. Sincerely, David J. Kramer, ASA, CMAE3 Assessor, IS Director Department of Public Services 801 Ajax Drive Madison Heights, MI 48071 Fire Department 340 W. Thirteen Mile Road Madison Heights, MI 48071 Police Department 280 W. Thirteen Mile Road Madison Heights, MI 48071 February 9, 2004 FEB 1 0 2334 S cerely, DWAYNE G. MC AC] DWAYNE G. MCLACHLAN CITY ASSESSOR City of Madison Heights City Hall Municipal Offices 300 W. Thirteen Mile Ron Madison Heights, MI 48071 r : MR. DAVID HIEBER, MANAGER OAKLAND COUNTY EQUALIZATION DIVISION 250 ELIZABETH LAKE RD SUITE 1000 WEST PONTIAC, MI 48341 DEAR MR. HIEBER: You have made inquiry as to my level of satisfaction with BS&A Equalizer software products. As you know, my office in managing our Assessment Administration workload, utilizes this software. While I was not the individual responsible for the initial installation of this product, I would unconditionally recommend it to all Assessment Administration personnel. The proprietors continue to expand the program's features and are quick to provide modifications and updating as required by an ever-changing property tax landscape. Having utilized Oakland County's excellent applications and systems for 17 years during my career in Ferndale, I was pleasantly surprised to find an efficient functional alternative readily available. Integration with and enhancement of other Oakland County applications and the economies to be realized by not duplicating effort or "re-inventing the wheel" will provide obvious benefits. As you contemplate your software development goals, inclusion of this product will serve your users well, today and into the future. 583-0820 583-0826 583-0829 583-0831 589-2294 583-0846 588-3605 583-1800 583-0843 588-7763 541-7880 583-0829 City Assessor City Clerk City Manager Community Development Department of Public Services Finance Area Code (248) Fire Department 43rd District Court Housing Commission Library Branch Library Mayor & City Council Personnel Police Department Purchasing Recreation Senior Citizen Activity Center Water & Treasurer 583-0828 585-2100 837-2602 589-2294 545-3464 583-0845 City Manager Richard He/wig City Clerk Maryanne Cornelius Sincerely, D. GI4m Lemnron/Assessor City oNovi CITY COUNCIL Mayor Lou Csordas Mayor Pro Tern David B. Landry Kim Capello Bob Gatt Laura J. Lorenzo Toni Nagy ne Paul February 4, 2004 Mr. David Hieber, Manager Oakland County Equalization Division 250 Elizabeth Lake Road Ste 1000 West Pontiac, MI 48341 Re: BS&A Software and Oakland County Computer Systems Dear Mr. Hieber: As you are aware, the City of Novi has been using BS&A's Equalizer master appraisal system since 1995. The city has also been a user of the Oakland County Land/Equal/Tax system during that same period. The City of Novi has successfully been able to marry the two systems and provide a high quality package. The Equalizer is the most widely used ad valorem appraisal system in Michigan and has very cost effective for this community. I have been very pleased with the speed and flexibility of this PC based software. I have remained on the county's computer system for all other functions including personal property, master balance, property descriptions, and tax receivables. The county prints our change of assessment notices, personal property statements, and tax bills. The coordination of these county services is of great value during the settlement process at the Oakland County Treasurers Office. I'm extremely happy with the quality of Oakland County services and hope that they will remain in place. If you have any questions or I may be of service, feel free to contact me at (248)347-0492. 75 W. Ten Mile sNOnri, MI 48375 (248) 347-0460 (248) 347-0577 Fax "Enhancing Novi's quality of life" Mr. David Hieber February 6, 2004 Page 2 their specific needs. Keeping the assessment roll in balance using the miscellaneous statistics report is an invaluable tool. Edit access allows the program Administrator to specify which fields any particular user can open and modify. Support services provided by BS&A is excellent. They can be contacted by telephone, fax, or e-mail. They have always returned telephone calls promptly — typically in less than 30 minutes. Their support staff consists of employees well versed in assessment administration that have an excellent understanding of Michigan's property tax laws. Not once has a question gone unanswered or a problem not fixed. Mr. Bellefeuil has. consistently made changes to the prow-am to keep it in compliance with changes in state law. I would recommend this program to any assessing unit in the State of Michigan. Its ease of operation, its vast array of reports, and the superior support services offered by BS&A make it my "Number 1" choice for assessing software. I forgot to mention that it is also a very cost-effective program. Prior to 1999, Orion Township was spending approximately $20,000 annually for support of its appraisal program. We now pay $2,000 to BS&A for annual support. If I can offer any additional information regarding our Equalizer conversion, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF ORION cc: Phillip R. Bertolini Charter Township of Orion 2525 Joslyn Road • Lake Orion, Michigan 48360 • (248) 391-0304 • Fax (248) 391-9984 F EB ri) 9 ZOOti February 6, 2004 Mr. David Hieber, Manager Oakland County Equalization Division 250 Elizabeth Lake, Suite 1000 West Pontiac, Mi. 48341 Dear Mr. Hieber, At a recent meeting held between Equalization Personnel and CVT's who utilize BS&A software (Equalizer), you asked for input regarding conversion problems that we may have experienced, software usability, and support services provided by BS&A. Orion Township converted from a customized appraisal/assessment roll processing program to the BS&A Equalizer program for the 1999 tax year. The Township hired an independent third party to extract our data from this customized program. This individual then worked with Jim Bellefeuil of BS&A to format the data into files that were compatible with the Equalizer program. After two "washes" of the converted data, it was determined that approximately 99% of the appraisal information had properly converted into the Equalizer format. What did not convert was minor — additional charges for bathroom items & lower level finish in bi-level homes fell into this category, The conversion began in the fall of 1998 and was completed by the end of the year. The conversion was painless to the Township, the Assessing Department staff; and the public. The only problem that occurred was our inability to input new appraisal information while the conversion was in progress. This was due to the reluctance on the Township's contractual programmers to assist in the conversion by providing updated appraisal files to BS&A. The conversion that took place in Orion Township was for residential and agricultural parcels only. No commercial, industrial, or personal property files were available for conversion. The data was converted into the DOS version of Equalizer rather than the Windows version. Software usability is fantastic. With limited training, the Assessing Department staff was able to input four (4) months worth of work (name & address changes, sale information, appraisal data, ECF analysis, etc) in less than a month. There are no codes to memorize or boxes to fill in — the user merely enters the data in the appropriate cell/field and moves on to the next field. The learning curve on this software is extremely short. If you need required state reports, they can be generated in minutes. There are 24 canned reports built into the program. The Report Writer allows the user to customize reports to REC .FEB 0 5 2004 - OAKLAND COUNTy EQUALIZATiON DIVIS:ON Douglas G. Walther Deputy Assessor 248.841.2415 waltherd@rochesterhills.org Laurie Taylor Commercial/Industrial • 248.841.2417 - taylorl@rochesterhills.org Homestead Exemption & Property Transfer Affidavit Forms Boards of Review' March, July & December Land Divisions House/Property Information Sales Valuation Records Economic Development Corporation City Hall General Information 248.656.4600 Pat Somerville Mayor 248.656.4664 City of Q0CITE6TEP. 111116 1000 Rochester Hills Drive, Rochester Hills, Michigan 48309-3033 Pat Somerville, Mayor • City Council Members: Bryan K. Barnett John Dalton Jim Duisterrnars Melinda Hill Barbara L. Holder Linda Raschke Gerald Robbins DEPARTMENT OF ASSESSING • Telephone 248.656.4605 - FAX 248.656.4623 Kurt A. Dawson Director . 248.841.2416 dawsonk@rochesterhils.org February 3, 2004 Dave Hieber, Director Oakland County Equalization 250 Elizabeth Lake Rd., Ste. 1000W Pontiac, MI 48341-0431 Re: BS&A Equalizer Software Dear Dave: - It is my understanding that Oakland County is considering converting to the Equalizer Software for your assessing and 'equalization operations. As you know, the city of Rochester Hill's has been using the entire assessing and tax applications of the software since the development of the 2001 assessment and tax'rolls.- The City of Rochester Hills .began its conversion fromi the County assessing applications back 'in the early 1990's with the commercial , and industrial files. approached the County back thenregarding Our lack of satisfaction with the appraisal file:.The,41,appraisalvias especially cumbersome, complicated, lacking in detail and did not have the ability to analyze dat6'16i'prbduce u seful ql.lerie and reports. At that time,',VveponVerted to the Equalizer Software for the C&I files. As time went on, we experienced many benefits of being on the Equalizer software yéi.t.is the County's'. The next conversion ofour files involved the personal property and tax accounts for the 1999 assessment year In an effort to consolidate functions and enhance the functionality of our City's systems, a review of our processes was completed in the late 1990's. The result of that .analysts was a recommendation to convert the balance of our files to the Equalizer Software This was accomplished for the ?poi Assessment Year , I can say that the benefits of the Equalizer Software over the County's assessing and tax programs were many. Besides the significant cost savings annually, the software provided much more functionality. The only negative is that we now have "canned" software. However, the County had quit improving its assessing 'Software for many years. Changes to the Equalizer Software can be Made' if it is demonstrated that the vast majority of the -users Will benefit. At the time we ' converted, other benefits included better local control of the file (especially under time constraints); 'More flexibility in print options and timing of print jobs; more options for the analysis and reporting of data www.rochesterhills.org r (emphasis added* an improved appraisal output record and a record that could be easily explained to the taxpayers. We now have our records accessible via the Internet at no charge to the citizens. Our treasury information is updated daily during the tax collection season. These options have significantly reduced the number of phone calls our staff has to contend with during the course of their workday. In addition to the assessing and tax applications, we are currently using the Building Permit, Miscellaneous Receivables and Special Assessment applications. For other local units of government, there is an option to use this vendor for a multitude of other software applications. , -' --, If you need any other information With regard to this matter, please . give me a:call at 248.80.2416;4f you wish to view our on-line tax and assessing information, it can be accessed at , . wwwsochésterhills.orcileoweb.asp ' Sincerely, ku rt Ps` D'anNso n D rebtO r Departments of Assessing & TreaSu CITY ASSESSOR'S OFFICE City of Royal Oak 211 Williams Street, P.O. Box 64 (248) 246-3114 Royal Oak, Michigan 48068 ,wrgISSZ24_2=Zzn,- Fax (248) 246-3001 January 21, 2004 Mr. David M. Heiber, Administrator Oakland County Equalization Division 250 Elizabeth Lake Road, Suite 1000 West Pontiac, Michigan 48341 Dear David: I am writing this letter in support of your department's decision to utilize the Assessing System created by BS&A Software. Prior to becoming the Assessor for the City of Royal Oak, I had used the "Equalizer" Assessing System for close to 16 years and I can honestly say that I miss it. The system is very user-friendly and offers many useful ways to efficiently perform our day to day assessment procedures. The staff at BS&A are very professional and provide excellent support by telephone or via the Internet. It is my belief that you will be very satisfied with your decision to improve services by purchasing the software from BS&A. If you have any questions or if I can be of service in any way, please feel free to contact me at (248) 246-3114. Sincerely, lfI James M. Geiermann City Assessor FAAssessing\JMG\OfficeMise\CntyBSAltr.doe David Flaisher Supervisor Sharon A. Law Township Clerk Denise D. Hammond Treasurer January 27, 2004 Steven Kaplan Trustee Deborah L. Macon Trustee Allen Melberg Trustee Stuart Brickner Trustee Oakland County Equalization Attn: Mr. David Hieber, Equalization Director 250 Elizabeth Lake Road Pontiac, Michigan 48341 Re: BS&A Software Conversion Dear David: During the past year you have shared with local assessing officers the strengths and weaknesses of our current appraisal system. If we maintain our existing system, we will need significant rewrites of programs and will incur significant costs that will be passed to local municipalities through our user fees. Numerous discussions have occurred with assessors that utilize the Equalizer software system through BS&A. They report that BS&A is a user-friendly system. BS&A is generally well known and has indicated that the cost of utilizing their product will be significantly less than the development of a Countywide custom program. The cost of the product along with the quality of the product is of great importance to local municipalities. The BS&A system is used throughout the State of Michigan and has received approval from the State Tax Commission. I encourage the approval of moving forward in the acquisition of this system. If we intend to use the system for the 2005 Assessment Roll, it is imperative that the conversion work commences immediately upon completion of the 2004 March Board of Review. Please let me know as soon as possible the direction of the Equalization Department and Oakland County Information Technology so that we may plan our work flow for the year. I look forward to working with you during this transition. Best regards, Lisa A. Hobart, ASA, PPS Assessor 4550 WzInut Lake Road • West Bloomfield, MI 48325-0130 "Sr' (248) 451-4848 Fax (248) 682-3788 TDD (248) 451-4899 %go: Bonnie L. Elliott, Supervisor Carol J. Burkard, Clerk Beverly J. Spoor, Treasurer Trustees Ronald C. Voorheis Forrest Jay Brendel Cathy Morgan Hall Don Me!cher WHITE LAKE TOWNSHIP 7625 Highland Road White Lake, Michigan 48383-2900 (248) 698-3300 January 30, 20,04 Sincerely, eanine A Smith Assessor White Lake Township i5t7E-CEIVE . FEB 0 3 no= OAKLAND CO CL J EQUAL ---\1 Dave Hieber Administrator Oakland County Equalization RE: Conversion to BS&A Equalizer software Dear Dave: As the new Assessor for White Lake Township I am very much looking forward to the conversion to the BS&A Equalizer Assessing system. I previously worked for the City of Flint, where we used not only the BS&A Equalizer Assessing system but had converted to BS&A Equalizer Tax for the 2003 roll. We also used the BS&A Permit system and the City of Flint is in the process of obtaining several other BS&A products. The staff at BS&A is very knowledgeable about the laws and requirements for producing an annual assessment roll and is very supportive and helpful in the use of their products. Although the transition is somewhat manpower intensive, in the long run, Equalizer saved the City of Flint untold number of man-hours. The system is also very user friendly and, although BS&A provides a great deal of training, my staff at the City of Flint was able to use the system with very little training. If I can be of any assistance in this transition, please call me at (248) 698-3300 ext. 117. G. William Caddell, County Clerk * Resolution #04052 March 4, 2004 Moved by Moss supported by Knollenberg the resolution be adopted. AYES: Coulter, Crawford, Douglas, Gregory, Hatchett, Jamian, Knollenberg, KowaII, Law, Long, McMillin, Middleton, Moffitt, Moss, Palmer, Patterson, Rogers, Scott, Suarez, Wilson, Zack, Bullard, Coleman. (23) NAYS: None. (0) A sufficient majority having voted therefore the resolution was adopted. I HEREBY APPROVE THE FOREGOING REMO STATE OF MICHIGAN) COUNTY OF OAKLAND) I, G. William Caddell, Clerk of the County of Oakland, do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is a true and accurate copy of a resolution adopted by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners on March 4, 2004 with the original record thereof now remaining in my office. In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of tDe County of Oakland at Pontiac, Michigan this 4th day of March, 2004.