8.1.27 Release Notes

New Features

Released to Clients on 06/23/2016.

This release includes the following additions and modifications to functionality:

Exemptions

Proration

Previously in release 8.1.25, we implemented a change to prorate exemptions against the total Assessed Value before being compared against the remaining property value. Several clients interpreted the change differently and so the change has been rolled back to the previous calculation.

Now, as before the change, the proration is applied to the remaining taxable property value after applying all exemptions. An exemption worth 100% of the assessed value that was prorated for 6 months would be applied to 50% of the remaining value.

We intend to return to the concept of prorated exemptions with multiple exemptions when all examples are provided and thoroughly vetted.

SB 1 – Comparing Years to Set the Tax Ceiling

• SB1 which was passed in the 2015 legislative session requires the school freeze ceiling be set based upon the lower amount of the first two years.
  • Interpretation (per Debbie Cartwright) requires that the freeze ceiling be set based upon the lower of the first two year of the school taxes, regardless of changes in the second year.
  • Currently PACS only compares the first two years if the property received an OV65 in the first year and then received the HS in the second year.
• Beginning with Appraisal Year / Tax Year 2016, all new freeze ceilings will now calculate taxes based on values from the previous year and on values from the current year.
  • The freeze ceiling will be the lesser of the previous year tax or current year tax. New value in the current year is excluded from the calculation and comparison, but will be added to the lesser of the previous year tax or current year tax.
  • This logic is the same logic that was previously executed for a new freeze ceiling when a property did not have a HS exemption in the previous year but does have one in the current year.

NOTE: This logic does apply to freeze ceilings prior to Appraisal Year / Tax Year 2016 as the SB1 logic for 2015 already does the comparison.

PTAD Electronic Appraisal Roll Submission (EARS)

Important changes for 2016

Fields have been added to indicate if a property owner has requested that the address be kept confidential and to collect the value of any new construction on a property. The address of the property is also being requested, as was done before 2011.

• Modify the export field APL04 (Parcel Address), this field is now required
  • Populate from primary situs, verify if prior population rules are still available
  • If there is no situs, leave blank/NULL
• Modify the export field APL18 (Confidentiality), this field is now required
  • Ensure data exists in the field, ‘Y’ or ‘N’
  • Pull from the confidential flag on Taxpayer
• Verify the export field AJR07 State-Mandated Homestead Exemption Amount (Actual Amount Granted)
• Verify the export field AJR60 (All Homesteads Before Any Exemptions Indicator)
  • This field should be marked as “Y” if the property qualifies as a homestead, regardless of whether or not any value was contained in any of the homestead exemption fields. This field should be an “N” if there is no homestead granted to this property.
  • Ensure the field populates based on having HS exemption
• Modify the export field AJR89 (Tax Ceiling Indicator)
  • An indicator that the property owner has established a tax ceiling. The ceiling may apply because the homeowner is over 65, or because the homeowner is a surviving spouse of the recipient of such a ceiling, and the surviving spouse is over 55.

1 – Age

2 – Disability

3 – No

• Previous implementation in 2015 reported OV65 and DP as 1 and the spouse exemptions at 2
• This field will populate where tax ceiling exists in PACS.
• For PACS exemption types OV65, OV65S, DP, DPS
• If the property has a tax ceiling, the record should indicate:
  • ‘1’ for OV65 or OV65S
  • ‘2’ for DP or DPS
  • ‘3’ IF NO CEILING

• Add new field AJR91
  • Field Name= Amount of New Construction

Description= Enter the value of any new construction on a property. Do not enter repair or maintenance costs.

• This field will populate from new construction value in PACS, as reported in Totals.

PTAD Sales Submission (EPTS)

Important changes for 2016

The only changes to the file layout are in the length of the legal description field and the short account ID field. Both of these were lengthened to make them more uniform with our other systems. As we reviewed our systems, we found that we had multiple field lengths for the same fields and they really should be the same to prevent data loss. We will post the new manual around March 2016, with an effective date for the August 2016 submission. You should use the current format for the February submission.

• Modify field 4 ‘Short Account Number’ of the Sales Submission layout to enlarge the field length
• Modify field 6 ‘Legal Description’ of the Sales Submission layout to enlarge the field length

Helpstar ID Description of update

113007	When calculating and converting numeric to data type VARCHAR, an overflow error occurs.
151256	The issue was that there are not enough decimal places in the Weed Control Field on the Entity Record for tax rate to be entered. This is corrected in this release.
154905	SB1 which was passed in the 2015 legislative session requires the school freeze ceiling be set based upon the lower amount of the first two years. This is corrected in this release.
157651	The homestead group appears to be figuring a cap on a property and adjusting the assessed value, when actually the tables are not showing a cap on the property. This is corrected in this release.
158501	Capitol XML File import received an error “invalid column name’mineral_account_owner_number_last_4′, there is no field like that in our database or in the XML. This is corrected in this release.
158616	The stored procedure GetImprvPctModifiers does not account for null values in the imprv_adj_pct or imprv_atj_type.imprv_adj_type_pct. This is corrected in this release.
159059	There was a Foreign Key constraint error when doing the mineral import merge process. The Foreign Key constraint is for an exemption type code. This is corrected in this release.
159954	ARB Protest displays wrong hearing date.
160167	Existing monitor showing time slots for informals available and are not available
158208	PACS errors, client was receiving error due to DB number controls. This was corrected.
160314	Postage fee for ARB orders. The PACS GUI was set for money (2 decimals), but should be set to 3 decimals to account for .005 or half cent postal rates.
159683	An issue was reported where a public terminal could click ‘Open PDF Directory’ button and access the PDF documents in server. Added a new User Right to control the Open PDF Directory.

Helpstar ID Description of update

160519	Changing the value on mineral properties does not get saved, also an error is received on some mineral properties when value is changed. This was corrected.
160562	Evidence packages are sent out, taxpayer not receiving emails. This was corrected.
160376	ARB Board letters not printing correctly. Issue was corrected.
160469	ARB Board letters not printing consistently using the PRINT ARB CERTIFIED MAILINGS. This was corrected.
160603	When creating a protest, Activities>ARB>Protest, selecting the current year and selecting Property ID/GEO ID-“Taxpayer Affidavit Of Inability to Pay” automatically checked. This is corrected.
147365	ARB Protests created in Mass through PACS causes the “Taxpayer Affidavit of Inability to Pay” automatically checked. This is corrected in this release.
144824	When creating an ARB protest through Wizard- File >New>ARB Protest- the “Taxpayer Affidavit of Inability to Pay” check box checked by default. This is corrected in this release.
160585	Receiving of settlement offers not updating and closing the ARB. This is corrected in this release.