Title
Assessor's Office recommending the Board:
1) Approve and authorize the Purchasing Agent to execute the Order Form amending perpetual agreement 6345 with Just Appraised, Inc. to add front desk email management software tools in the annual amount of $11,748 increasing the total contract annual amount to $61,748 and extending the initial agreement term from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026, to July 1, 2023, to September 30, 2026; and
2) Authorize the Purchasing Agent to execute amendments relating to Agreement 6345, contingent upon approval by County Counsel and Risk Management, which do not alter compensation.
FUNDING: General Fund.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
On March 15, 2022, Legistar file 22-0248, the Assessor's Office received approval from the Board of Supervisors to purchase Just Appraised, a real estate verification platform from Just Appraised, Inc. in the amount of $51,000. The first year’s payment of the software support services costs were included in the original contract price.
On June 6, 2023, Legistar file 23-0899, the Assessor's Office received approval from the Board of Supervisors for the continuance of the perpetual agreement 6345 for $50,000, for the term July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026, for real estate verification software. The software from Just Appraised employs OCR technology to read text, extract key information, and automatically populate the required fields in the Megabyte property system during the property transfer process. This automation not only saves staff time but also improves accuracy and efficiency in processing transfers.
Just Appraised, Inc. is at the forefront of streamlining the workflow for real property change in ownerships and transfer recordings conducted in the Recorder's Office and processed in the Assessor's Office. The Just Appraised, Inc. software technology, reads the information from the recordings and auto-populates key information in the Assessor's Office Property Tax System, Megabyte. Just Appraised is highly utilized for real estate sales transactions data entry. San Joaquin County, Yolo County and Sonoma County all have contracts with Just Appraised. Utilizing the software reduces the processing time for entering sales transactions from roughly eight minutes when done directly in Megabyte, to roughly two minutes when completed with Just Appraised software. Additionally, Just Appraised offers excellent 24/7 customer service and support via live chat and or email and are available via phone and text, which has been appreciated by the Assessor's Office Transfer unit. The Assessor's Office was also able to negotiate a change in term date of July 1, 2023 (this term will now be aligned with the County's Fiscal Year) with no additional costs, which resulted in roughly a $12,000 savings.
The Assessor's Office is requesting Board approval to add the Front Desk email management software tools in the annual amount of $11,748 increasing the total contract amount to $61,748 annually and extending initial agreement term from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026, to July 1, 2023, to September 30, 2026. Front Desk is a digital helpdesk platform built for local government. It centralizes inquiries from multiple channels-emails, phone calls, walk-ins, and website chats-into one easy-to-manage system. The El Dorado County Assessor's Office will only be utilizing the email functionality of the tool at this time. Using secure email forwarding, Front Desk ingests messages from existing public inboxes, applies AI-powered tagging and categorization, and routes them to the right team or staff member. Employees gain access to a shared inbox, AI-assisted draft responses, and a continuously evolving knowledge base-improving both efficiency and accuracy.
In accordance with Board Policy C-17, Departments must obtain authorization from the Board of Supervisors initially, and on an annual basis, to utilize any contract that does not have a stated contract term. Due to the license's perpetual nature, this agreement requires Board approval. Approving the agreement will continue to allow for expedient processing of real estate sales necessary for processing the roll close and launching a new email help desk program will enhance the Assessor's Office ability to offer a robust customer service offering to the public increasing both efficiency and accuracy in email interactions and information sharing.
ALTERNATIVES
If not approved the Assessor’s Office could manually enter data into the Property Tax System, which would slow down the change in ownership processing times and manually track emails and correspondence to the Assessor's Office.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
Legistar Item # 22-0248 on for the initial implementation and original order form for services of Just Appraised software.
Legistar #23-0899, the Assessor's Office received approval from the Board of Supervisors for the continuance of the perpetual agreement 6345 for $50,000, for the term July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026, for real estate verification software.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
Information Technology
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This Agreement is funded with General Fund revenues. The expenses are included in the Assessor’s Office operating budget.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
N/A
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
N/A
CONTACT
Assessor Jon DeVille