Compatability issue is finally resolved (05/05/08)

Three county offices will soon be singing from the same hymn book.

Jay County Commissioners this morning authorized county assessor Terry LeMaster to purchase updated data management software from Manatron, making that office's software compatible with software used by the auditor's office and the treasurer's office.

Communication and compatibility have been problems for the past two to three years.

Manatron's price of $58,728 for ten work sites was the lowest quote submitted, LeMaster noted.

LeMaster also said county auditor Nancy Culy and treasurer Robin Alberson had been a big help in sorting out some software problems encountered by his office over the past few weeks.

With all three offices using Mantron's software, it will be possible for the auditor and treasurer to easily access data from the assessor's office. That data will be password protected and cannot be changed except by the assessor's office.

Commissioners are continuing to learn more about the potential impact of property tax law changes made by the Indiana General Assembly this spring.

Indianapolis attorney Gretchen Gutman will make a presentation on the tax reform package at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14, prior to a meeting of the Jay County Council.

And financial consultant Greg Guerrettaz has proposed a lunch meeting later in May for all county elected officials and department heads to examine the impact the changes will have on local budgets. The exact date of that meeting has not been set.

In other business, commissioners:

•Learned that the county had received a "clean bill of health" from the Indiana State Board of Accounts in an exit interview following an audit.

•Said they would confer with Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier about how best to limit parking on the new West Walnut Street lot owned by the county. Commissioners want to limit the lot to county employees from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and allow public parking at other times. While the city of Portland has a parking lot ordinance, its rules are more restrictive than those planned by the commissioners.

•Authorized having the courthouse restroom facilities open during an Arch Bridge Kroozers cruise-in on Saturday, May 17. Commissioners also agreed to allow the former Ford dealership building on West Main Street, which the county owns, to be used for the event. Ford is the featured marquee at this spring's event.

•Noted that commissioners Milo Miller Jr. and Faron Parr will be required to undergo ethics training by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources in connection with their roles on the Wabash River Corridor Commission.[[In-content Ad]]