The software isn’t in use just yet, but a few area counties have spent nearly $200-thousand to better assess real estate and personal property values.
“XSoft” software is currently used by 43 Indiana counties as well as the state Department of Local Government Finance. Marshall County gave approval to use the software in May hoping the new platform will streamline productivity.
Marshall County Assessor Debbie Dunning says the previous software also conflicted with neighboring state assessment laws.
“We were having a lot of issues with the software,” says Dunning. “So this new software, XSoft, it was designed in Indiana for Indiana users only so that was very appealing to us.”
Included in the contract with “XSoft” is training for the staff in the areas of compiling a database and developing reports.
The $173-thousand cost to Marshall County is being paid out of the Marshall County Reassessment Fund over a four-year period. Funds are believed to exist to help with the annual payments.
Dunning says she believes the additional expense is worth sticking to their timeline, but savings will result in maintenance.
“Our main goal is on-time property tax bills,” says Dunning. “Since we’re the first step of the property tax bill, annually; we can’t get behind. So this was something that was very important, first: for us to get cleaned up and to have software from this site, we can depend on.”
It was not uncommon to wait as long as two-months for repairs to the previous software in Marshall County.
The assessor’s office must now wait for 2016 taxes, payable in 2017, to rollover so Assessor’s office employees can put the “XSoft” software to work.
