9.0.28 Release Notes

New Features

Accounting

• In the Account Number Configuration dialog box in PACS.ADMIN (Tools > Account Number Configuration), the default offset account number and type can now be set to facilitate miscellaneous receipt transactions.

  

• When adding or editing accounts, miscellaneous receipting features can be activated by setting the default offset account in the Edit Account Number dialog box (Activities > Accounting > Chart of Accounts).

  

Auditor Document Import

• It is now possible to import and manage REET documents and other documents from the auditor’s office with the Auditor Data Import (File > Import > Auditor Data).

  

  After documents are imported, you match unmatched records and permanently apply data from the initial import with the Auditor Import Run View window (Activities > Auditor Import Run List):

  

Auto-Pay Processing

• Taxes due can now be identified and taxpayer bank accounts can be debited with Auto-Pay Processing. Taxpayer auto-pay accounts can be managed through the Auto-Pay panel of a taxpayer record.

  

• Taxpayer auto-pay accounts can be kept up-to-date easily in the details dialog box accessed from the Auto-Pay panel in the taxpayer records.

  

• Multiple properties can be enrolled at the same time with the Auto-Pay Quick Entry feature (Activities > Auto-Pay).

  

• Property ownership changes can be tracked and managed by choosing Activities > Auto-Pay > Manage Ownership Changes. With Auto-Pay Ownership Change Management, taxpayers can be removed, or taxpayer Auto-Pay account information can be transferred to a new property.

  

• Various reports listing taxpayers and properties enrolled in Auto-Pay can be generated with the Auto-Pay Enrollment Report by choosing Reports > Auto-Pay > Enrollment Report.

  

• Auto-Pay account information can be verified by choosing Export > ACH Pre-Note File Export. The Pre-Note File Export feature runs a zero dollar transaction that tests account information for accuracy.

  

• Auto-Pay account information and debit amounts can be validated before executing the transaction with an ACH File Report. This feature can be accessed by choosing Reports > Auto-Pay > ACH File Report.

  

• Taxpayer payments can be made through debit transactions generated by Auto-Pay File and Payment Run (Activities > Auto-Pay > Create ACH File and Payment Run). This action also generates and saves a report.

  

Building Permits

• It is now possible to search for building permits according to a date range for splits and merges, and/or a date range for the deletion of property records, in addition to the building permit import data and/or issue date:

  

• You can now display a PACS permit in the permit issuer’s Web site by choosing Commands > Issuer Website from the permit:

  

Distributions

• There is now a Misc. Receipts distribution type available for use with distribution processing (Activities > Accounting > Distributions). The Misc. Receipts distribution type creates a distribution for miscellaneous receipts for a given time period.

  

• It is now possible to export distributions (Activities > Accounting > Distributions) in a J.D. Edwards format. The J.D. Edwards format is set in PACS.ADMIN (Tools > System Configuration > Financial Management System category > External Accounting System).

  

Fees

• When adding a miscellaneous fee to an account or property, the New Fee dialog box now changes to allow payment through default offset accounts. (In a New Fee dialog box, select MISC RCPT (MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPT FEE) from the Fee Type drop-down menu.)

  

  • Fees associated with non-taxpayer accounts (tax district, agent, special assessment agency, and mortgage accounts) can now be managed through the Fees panel of a record. Click Details to modify or view existing fees.

  

Legal Descriptions

• It is now possible to enable township and range fields for your system to support compliance with the United States Public Survey Land Ordinance. When the fields are enabled, you can:
  • Include township and range data within a legal description when the township and range fields are enabled for your system. The data is entered in the Legal Description panel of property records:

    

  • Select Township as a type of area when configuring the auto build legal description feature in PACS.ADMIN (Tools > Auto Build Legal Configuration).
• In addition, you can now enter township and range data as search criteria in the Secondary Search Criteria panel when searching for property records:

  

Payment Processing

• There is now a quick way to post miscellaneous receipt payments with the Miscellaneous Receipt – Post Payment feature. (Activities > Posting > Misc. Receipt Post Payment).

  

• Miscellaneous receipting options can be enabled by setting up a miscellaneous receipting account number template. (Tools > Code File Maintenance > Collections > Miscellaneous Receipt Templates)

  

• When using the Quick Post a Single Payment feature (Activities > Posting > Quick Post: Single Payment), Miscellaneous Receipt Fees can be viewed and modified as needed.

  Payment Validation

• There are now options available in PACS.ADMIN (Tools > Workstation Configuration) for configuring receipt printers, slip printers and check validation printers.

  

• A Validate Slip button is now available in the Payment Detail dialog box and in REET records.

Property Access

• Administration Page – There is a new administration page available for editing configuration settings as shown below.

  In addition, there are two new PACS user rights under the Property Access node in the PACS.ADMIN user right tree. The limited Web Site Configuraion user right enables users to modify the predetermined set of configuration options shown below.

  There is also a full Web Site Administration user right that enables user to modify all Property Access settings.

  

• Geographic ID – The Geographic ID label used throughout the Property Access interface can now be replaced with customized text of your choice. The customized text must be entered in a configuration field.
• Images – Configuration options are available to set up hyperlinks in the Deed and Sales History panel that display images of the excise and deed documents.

  

• Improvement Details – A configuration option is now available to display improvement feature information, such as exterior wall and roof covering information, associated with all improvement details. Previously, feature information was displayed only for the main improvement with the highest value.

  The feature information is no longer displayed only at the improvement level; it is now also displayed at the improvement detail level in gray shaded boxes underneath each improvement line. For example:

  

• Map List panel – There is a new panel, the Map List panel, that contains links to PDF documents by section, township, and range. For example:

  

• Payments – It is now possible to use the Pay Taxes tab to open the Pay Taxes page:

  

  From the Pay Taxes tab, it is no longer possible for a taxpayer to modify the amount to pay prior to proceeding to the payment cart. The taxpayer can now choose only the total amount due:

  

  In addition, taxpayers can now select either H1 Due or the Total Due to pay either the first half payment or the total payment.

• Radius Search – It is now possible to search properties through a radius search.
• Search – It is now possible to include a city name as part of search criteria.

  

  In addition, it is now possible to configure Township, Range, and Township section fields to be available in the Additional Criteria section:

  

REET Processing

• It is now possible to override an excise number that was previously generated for a REET record with the new Override check box available in the General panel of the Ownership History dialog box (accessed by selecting the deed for which the excise number needs to be overridden and clicking Details .)

  

Reports

• Funds that are not associated to a PACS property can now be distributed to tax areas with the Payment in Lieu of Taxes Calculation Report. (Reports > Levy > Payment in Lieu of Taxes Report)

  

Special Assessments

• Special assessment user values can be modified from the Tax Area, Exemptions, & Special Assessments panel of a property record. Values can be added or modified within the grid.

  

• When setting up special assessment calculation options, User Values can be modified within the grid in the Details dialog box of special assessment agency records.

  

• Data from uncertified years, including user values, can now be imported through the Special Assessment Import feature with the new select Property Special Assessment User Values option. (Import > Special Assessment Import)

  

Splits and Merges

• When splitting a property, there are now options available to copy building permits if required.

  

• When merging a property, there are now options available to copy building permits if required.