Yes Virginia, mainframes still exist, and mostly in state and local government offices. New York City, one of the richest cities in the world, is no exception. The Department of Finance for the city is making moves to replace the system however, picking Tyler Technologies iasWorld property appraisal and tax administration software, which will help the City with its annual assessments of more than 1 million parcels valued at approximately $800 billion. The contract, valued at approximately $18.4 million, includes software licenses, implementation services and support.
The contract entails the implementation of Tyler’s iasWorld Tax Billing & Collection solution along with multiple added software features, including iasWorld Inquiry & Appeals Tracking, Public Access and iasWorld Respond to proactively manage public requests for information.
Technology has been at the forefront of many parts of Mayor Bloomberg’s agenda, making this announcement seem surprisingly out-of-place in startup laden NYC. The city has a substantial, real-time law enforcement dragnet, and is extending broadband services to small businesses, but other pieces of the puzzle still lag far behind. The city focused on selecting a fully integrated solution composed of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software that could deliver assessment administration and tax billing and collection within a single application. The use of technology solutions that require little customization supports a growing municipal trend as cities try to get away from technology that requires software re-development for every change.
The New York City Department of Finance annually collects approximately $30 billion in revenue, the majority of which Tyler’s iasWorld appraisal and tax administration software will manage. The Department of Finance has nearly 1,800 employees and an operating budget of about $230 million; it values more than 1 million properties worth a total of approximately $800 billion.
“Tyler’s evergreen philosophy of continually reinvesting in our solutions, at no additional cost to the client, creates significant long-term value for New York City. We are delivering a truly generational appraisal and tax solution that will be flexible and highly configurable far into the future,” said John S. Marr Jr., Tyler’s president and CEO.
