Sales letters could not be generated as expected (from Property view, choose Deeds-Sales tab and open a sale record detail, then, in the General tab, choose either Print Seller or Print Buyer option, then click the Print Sales Letter(s) button). The query for gathering the expected records has been modified, resolving the issue.
Valuations – Land
22691
Both Adjusted and Flat appraisal methods could be selected, but recalculating showed that the originally selected appraisal method was still being applied (from Property view, choose Land tab, open Land Segment detail, change Appraisal Method and enter an amount, then click Apply; then return to Property view and click Recalculate). The dialog’s tab order has been modified, resolving the issue.
Non-property fees, such as fees assigned to a taxpayer or fees associated with litigation, failed to display on the Fee Statement Report (Reports > Fees > Fees Statement Report). A view change–essentially, a change to the stored query–now allows the expected data to display.
This release includes the following additions and modifications to functionality:
Appraisal Data Export & Import
The appraisal data exports and imports have been updated to account for all of the new and modified functionality introduced in this and prior releases. Most notably, exemptions, including the DVHSS (100% Disabled Veteran’s Surviving Spouse) exemption, and exemption prorations are now included. In PACS Appraisal, the export is performed by choosing File > Export > Appraisal Information; in PACS Collections, import through File > Import > Appraisal Data.
Comparable Sales
The number of properties returned in comparable sales search results now displays in the Comparable Sales Property Results List window title bar (File > Open > Comparables – Residential, File > Open > Comparables – Commercial). The number of selected properties also displays.
Exemptions
Fields allowing for prorated beginning and ending exemption effective dates previously existed in PACS, however functionality was not complete for all exemptions. By request, proration functionality can now been extended to all exemptions.
Contact True Automation Support to enable this functionality on your system. Proration can be enabled for all exemptions or for particular exemptions.
General
To comply with state changes, the following have been revised:
These applications for agricultural and timber appraisal: ag application, ag application – duplex, extended ag application, ag application 2 (which includes ag and timber), ag application 2 – duplex, and any client-specific ag applications(PACS Appraisal: Activities > Print Property Applications)
HS Exemption application (Activities > End of Year Processing > Print Exemption Applications)
PTAD File (Activities > Certify Appraisal Roll > PTD > Generate Certified PTD Submission) (see below)
Also, the County, City, and School Report of Property Value
Note As always, to avoid and handle issues concerning form compliance, please consult with your attorney.
Installment Agreements
When creating installment agreement plans, users can now choose to either apply payments to the oldest bills first, or to the most recent. Applying payments to the most recent bills typically increases the collection percentage. To do so, users with the new Edit Installment Agreement Settings user right choose the default Payment Order, either Apply to Most Recent Bills First or Apply to Oldest Bills First, through Tools > Set Installment Agreement Settings.
The new Payment Order field displays in page 3 of the Installment Agreement Wizard (open the Taxpayer record on which you want to create and record the agreement, select the Installments tab and click New).
After the installment agreement has been created, the Payment Order displays on the Installment Agreement dialog box (from the Taxpayer record, select the Installments tab and click Details).
Letter Processing
The following ARB letter tags have been added to letter processing:
ARB Inquiry Letters
Staff Appraiser
ARB Agent
Agent to Resolve
ARB Protest Letters
Primary Protester
Appraiser
Staff Appraiser
ARB Agent
Agent to Resolve
Previously, use of the signature pad has been limited to ARB letters. But with 8.1.13., Property letters can now accommodate signatures. Once configured, after signing on the signature pad, the digital image of the signature is inserted into the letter. Configuration consists of (1) installing the signature pad software via the executable and plugging in the device, (2) setting up the property letter by adding a single table cell (sized between 2 and 3 inches) with the appropriate signature letter tag inserted inside, and (3) printing the letter and having the signer sign the pad when prompted.
Monitors
PACS release 8.1.13.0011 introduces Monitor functionality to PACS Collections. To begin using monitors, choose File > Open > Monitors or click the Monitors button on the Collections tool bar.
Until now, Monitors have only been available in PACS Appraisal. Monitors are queries or stored procedures that gather and report specific, up-to-date information according to your schedule–as often as every second, if needed. In PACS Appraisal, an example monitor is the daily statistics monitor, which displays the number of inquiries and protests processed each day, along with other information such as phone numbers and the taxing units.
PACS Collections users with the Monitors – Edit / Run or Monitors – Run user rights can now create similar monitors for their system. With the PACS Monitors window displayed, right-click within the window and choose Add. Enter a new Monitor Name, Query (or stored procedure), Refresh Rate Minutes and Seconds. Click Verify Query to verify that your query is coherent. You can also assign users to maintain monitor results. Double-click a monitor to view its results.
Note that having multiple monitors with very short refresh rates can slow down your system. For more information about creating and storing custom monitors on your system, contact True Automation Client Services.
PTAD Electronic Appraisal Roll Submission
The PTD EARS submission layout has been modified per state directive. The submission is run by choosing Activities > Certify Appraisal Roll > PTD > Generate Certified PTD Submission. The changes include HS fix 109200/TFS 20997 and the following:
These code fields are now blank:
APL04– Parcel Address
AND04– Name/Address Line 1
AND05– Name/Address Line 2
AND06– Name/Address Line 3
AND07– Name/Address Line 4
AND08– City
AND09– State
AND10– Zip Code
AND12– Fiduciary Indicator
The submission no longer requires information on Special Districts. The following fields will not include the special district taxing unit ID code:
AJR04 CAD – Taxing Unit ID Code
AUD04 CAD – Taxing Unit ID Code
TU203 CAD – Taxing Unit ID Code
The following changes to state codes for goods-in-transit have been made:
The existing PTD state code H has been replaced with the code H1, but continues to represent Tangible, non-business vehicles
The state code H2 has been added to represent goods-in-transit; its associated edit messages have also been verified
Important You are responsible for mapping the new H1 and H2 codes to the appropriate tangible, non-business vehicle and goods-in-transit codes. Mapping is performed by choosing Tools > Code File Maintenance > General > State Codes. The new/modified codes are available in this release.
In the export, H2 properties will continue to be reported in the AJR record with the market value
AJR72 and AJR73 still report the value for goods-in-transit exemptions (GIT)
Fields AJR75 and AJR76 have been added to report the new Community Land Trust (CLT) exemption
To reduce errors on the PTD Verification report, mineral properties will be excluded from the existing edit on taxable value. (State Code= G1)
The following new exemptions are accounted for as follows:
DVHSS is reported as part of the DVHS exemption (AJR64 (Total Appraised Value Lost to State-Mandated 100 percent Disabled or Unemployable Veterans Homestead Exemption) and AJR66 (State-Mandated 100 percent disabled or Unemployable Veterans Homestead Exemption))
Value calculations for HS exemptions allocated across MH properties have been modified and verified to ensure accurate reporting
In light of all the above changes, the PTD Verification report and the submission’s related error-edit messages have been modified accordingly.
Important The modified forms will be available on your system shortly after the date of this release. This update will not require you to take a new version of PACS.
Valuation
Appraisal offices can now record special appraisal value on Real property to prevent use as an equity comparable value and to preserve market value. Types of special appraisal can be created by each client, though this designation was originally intended to identify valuation such as agricultural or wildlife management/use, residential highest and best use, or residential inventory value. This new functionality begins with a Special Appraisal option displayed in the Valuation Methods section of the Values view.
Clicking Special Appraisal opens the Special Appraisal Distribute Value dialog box. Here, choose the special appraisal Type (required), enter the value, choose the value distribution method, and review or modify the Land and Improvement segments values listed. Value distribution across property elements works similar to the existing distribution method.
Type code options are type codes created & configured through Tools > Code File Maintenance > General > Special Appraisal Codes.
The Land DCF Special Appraisal Type code is already set in the database. Creating Special Appraisal Type Codes requires the Codefile Maint. Special Appraisal user right. Entering Special Appraisal values requires the Special Appraisal Value user right. The code and Special Appraisal value also display on the property’s Summary view, and the value displays on Land and Improvement details in Special Value fields.
The appraisal data export and import have also been updated.
In consideration of the new Special Appraisal functionality, users can now create and apply a Discounted Cash Flow Analysis valuation for residential real inventory properties as laid out in Tax Code 23.12:
(a) Except as provided by Sections 23.121, 23.1241, 23.124, and 23.127, the market value of an inventory is the price for which it would sell as a unit to a purchaser who would continue the business. An inventory shall include residential real property which has never been occupied as a residence and is held for sale in the ordinary course of a trade or business, provided that the residential real property remains unoccupied, is not leased or rented, and produces no income.
Residential real property can be classified and valued as Inventory under certain conditions. Generally, these conditions describe builder development lots in a subdivision, which can include improvements.
Basically, PACS Special Valuation Discounted Cash Flow Analysis calculates the revenue expected from selling the inventory lots in the present time, minus the expenses included as part of maintaining and selling the lots, and then determines the value this might represent in the future. The passage of time is organized into a series of periods, such as months. (More about using Discounted Cash Flow method can be found in the Special Appraisal guide.)
To begin, first set the relevant rounding factors through Tools > System Setting > Special Appraisal.
Then, users with the Land DCF Edit Analysis and/or Land DCF View Analysis user right can choose Activities > Land DCF Analysis, right-click in the Land DCF Analysis dialog box and choose Create Analysis.
Then the New Analysis Wizard calculates the Discounted Cash Flow and other values for the various properties included in the analysis.
Finally, the analysis can be activated and the value distributed my right-clicking on the analysis and choosing Distribute Valuesand Activate. The value can be distributed across all properties–to each property (according to Net Present Value/Unit, by percentage, or manually), and within each property (by percentage or manually). Values can also be distributed manually through the Values tab Special Appraisal button on each property (discussed above).
Certified Totals only reported prorated exemptions on EX, CHODO, LIH. OV65, OV65S, DP, and DPS (Activities > Certify Appraisal Roll > Print Certified Totals). Prorated DVHS and DVHSS exemptions are now reported, too. This upgrade allows for prorating all exemptions; this functionality must be activated by True Automation Support.
Effective Acres Groups
113284
After a user ID was deleted from the system, any Effective Acres groups that the user created do not display in group listings. The query for gather Effective Acres groups has been modified to correct this issue.
General
110898
The date only partially printed on the Certified Totals (Activities > Certify Appraisal Roll > Print Certified Totals). The date field has been widened, correcting this issue.
105413
Taxpayer search results could not be sorted by clicking on the column headers (Activities > Ownership Transfer, click Search, perform search by Taxpayer). Sorting now works as expected. After clicking a column header, a triangle displays to the right of the column text. The triangle points up for ascending sort order and down for descending.
Importing & Exporting
108691
Addresses were truncated in the database after performing the CASS Import (File > Import > CASS Import). The number of allowed characters has been increased from 30 to 50.
Letter Processing
110537
An Effectives Acres letter tag has been added to property letters.
112373
The Property Valuation Year letter tag was unavailable when working with property letters. This tag has been restored.
113056
On Sales letters, international addresses omitted country names because a US format that does not include the country name was used (from Property, choose Deeds-Sales view, click once on an ownership history record and click Details, click Print Sales Letter). This formatting issue has been corrected.
Mass Maintenance
113704
An unhelpful error displayed after attempting to update Land details without entering the New Value (Activities > Mass Maintenance > Mass Update, click Add in the Mass Update Maintenance dialog box). Now, in this instance, an informative message displays text similar to “You must supply a ‘New Value’ for a selected ‘Insert’ ‘Action’ or delete the row.“
115148
An attempt to perform a mass recalculation caused an unexpected error because duplicate records were selected (Activities > Recalculate Value). Now only unique properties are selected. Furthermore, record selection also will consider supplement data when encountering homestead property groupings; this prevents single properties being selected multiple times because they exist in multiple years.
PTD Electronic Appraisal Roll Submission
109200
LVE is now listed as a total exemption in the export via code AJR12 (Total Exemption Amount (Absolute).
Reports
101550
The Comparable Sales Report Listing did not display the expected land type, size, unit price, and value data (click the Open Comparables – Residential icon, perform a search, select properties listed in the Property Results List, right-click and choose Print > Report Listing – All Items). The report has been modified to include the required data, resolving the issue. Note the following: (1) The land size is displayed in square feet; (2) the land unit price value is displayed, but the units corresponding to the unit price are undefined in the report (i.e., the unit price may be per acre, per square foot, or sometimes the unit price simply equals the total price).
Rollbacks
112029
The generated ag Rollback Tax Report was unreadable (in the Property view, open the RBack-ShProp tab, in the Rollbacks section, select the rollback and click Print). This on-screen issue stemmed from a system index color change between Windows XP and Windows 7 operating systems. The background color of the report is now set as an RGB (silver/gray – 192, 192, 192)–this protects the report from color changes in the system.
Notices and their events showed inconsistent values or failed to generate altogether (Activities > Assessment > Delinquent Tax Functions > Print Delinquent Notice). This happened on databases having many properties set up for half or quarterly pay, and properties that have agents. The processes for preparing delinquent notices have been modified to correct this issue.
Importing & Exporting
109236
The override marker on properties with freeze transfers did not transfer during the appraisal data import (File > Import > Appraisal Data; to choose the Override option, choose the Entity-Exmpt tab and click Details in the Exemption section). The stored procedure for importing, copying, and merging property freeze data has been updated, resolving this issue.
Payment Processing
110207
Cash payment amounts slightly larger than the due amount could not be posted as a Full Payment in the Post Statement dialog box (Activities > Post Statement). These cash payments can now be posted, and change displays as expected in the designated Change Due field in the dialog box.
Receipting
112260
Property IDs longer than eight digits were cut off on printed escrow receipts (from Property view, click Escrow tab, click Post, ensure Print Receipt option is selected in PostEscrow Payment dialog box). The ID now displays in full, resolving the issue.
Reports
112379
The Fee Statement Report did not display all the expected data associated with fee payment postings, including property IDs and Geo Ids (Reports > Fee > Fee Statement Report). This happened because some property information was associated with properties as they are stored after certification. Now the missing report data is taken from the property independent of certification status.
110930
The refund amount displayed on the Refund Due Report was incorrect when the report was run for a property using half-pay and having a discounted first half payment with the refund applied for the second half payment (Reports > Collections > Refund Due Report). An overage amount from the first payment was not accounted for in the report’s values. This issue has been resolved.
Tax Statements
115501
An attempt to generate delinquent notices threw an error after running fruitlessly for eight hours (Activities > Assessment > Delinquent Tax Functions > Print Delinquent Notice). The code generating notices has been modified to better handle record changes during processing.
You are responsible for mapping the new 
