DATE: May 14, 2019
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Oscar J. Garcia, CPA
Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector
SUBJECT: Authorize the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector to immediately provide thirty (30) days written notice to Sonant Corporation to terminate Agreement No. 05-158, as amended, for the Tax Collector’s Interactive Voice Response and Web payment System, pursuant to the Without Cause provision of the Agreement.
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Authorize the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector to immediately provide thirty (30) days written notice to Sonant Corporation to terminate Agreement No. 05-158, as amended, for the Tax Collector’s Interactive Voice Response and Web Payment System, pursuant to the Without Cause provision of the Agreement.
REPORT
The recommended action will allow the County to terminate its agreement with Sonant Corporation to eliminate an interactive voice response and web payment system that is not compatible with the County’s new property tax system. The new property tax system is scheduled to go live on July 1, 2019. As of July 1, 2019, the Sonant Corporation system will not be able to be used by the County.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board not approve the recommended action, the County will be paying for a service it will not be able to use starting July 1, 2019.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The recommended action will terminate the agreement to avoid having an agreement for services the County of Fresno will not be able to use. The last annual maintenance was paid in September 2018 for $30,244.50.
DISCUSSION:
The Fresno County Tax Collector is responsible for billing, collecting, and delinquencies of property taxes. In an effort to enhance these operations, on May 17, 2005, your Board approved Agreement No. 05-158. The interactive voice response and web payment system offered by Sonant Corporation was developed specifically for the County. This system enhanced operations and the flow of property tax information to and from the County’s mainframe property tax system and taxpayers.
Megabyte Corporation has been contracted to provide a property tax system to replace the dated County mainframe property tax system. The current configuration of the system provided to the County of Fresno by Sonant Corporation will no longer be able to be used. Megabyte Corporation, as part of the system provided to the County, has a Web Payment component. A replacement for the interactive voice response component is currently being developed with the help of the County’s Internal Services Department. Development and testing is on schedule and due to be completed prior to June 30, 2019.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #31, May 17, 2005 - Agreement 05-158 (Original Agreement)
Addendum, August 30, 2005 - Agreement 05-404 (First Amendment)
BAI #15, June 20, 2006 - Agreement 06-238 (Second Amendment)
BAI #23, January 12, 2010 - Agreement 05-158-3 (Third Amendment)
BAI #20, August 10, 2010 - Agreement 05-158-4 (Fourth Amendment)
BAI # 21, July 15, 2014 - Agreement 05-158-5 (Fifth Amendment)
CAO ANALYST:
Debbie Paolinelli