Please join us for the
CSC Annual Meeting of Collector Members
Thursday November 2nd 2017
Springfield Public Library
16 Acres Branch
Community Room
1187 Parker St
Springfield MA 01129
10:00 am Refreshments
10:15 am Meeting Starts
Register Here
The Community Software Consortium is soliciting Proposals for a Tax Collection and Billing solution for its membership.
The Members & The Technology
The CSC has approximately 15 Collector Tier member communities interested in a solution based on this RFP. (See list in CostReponse Appendix 2.) The collection system is currently connected directly with the CSC Assessing System through a ‘loader’ bridge. A similar bridge will be needed from the collection system to the assessing system in use by the assessors of each member town. For many this will be Tyler IASWorld.
The Goals
The CSC Assessors plan to transition to Tyler IASWorld during FY19. The CSC Collectors wish to have a solution in place with an implementation plan and schedule that allows for a seamless transition, and insures that tax bills can be sent timely.
Our goal is to insure that any transition results in services that are equal to or better than the current solution. Equally important is the ongoing annual maintenance/support pricing for current CSC members consistent with the membership dues structure now in place. Current members currently pay between $1200-$2000 for annual Collector Tier Membership, and either half or all of the General Dues of $925. Further information is available here on the website.
The RFP is available on the Commbuys website:
BD-18-1527-CSC01-CSC01-20307
Responses must be received no later than Monday Oct 16th at 11:30 am, 2017.
The dues for FY 2018 have been set.
Invoices will be sent out in July 2017.
Details here: FY 2018 Dues
MassIT along with the procurement committee has selected Tyler Technologies, with its IasWorld software, as the apparent winner in the RFQ process for a new CAMA system for CSC communities.
We are thrilled by this announcement, as Tyler is one of the leading assessment software vendors in the world, and provides a native cloud system with the most advanced and forward looking solution on the market today. Reports from current users in Massachusetts are highly favorable.
Tyler has been a successful vendor in Massachusetts and New England for decades. This is a relatively new system which replaces their older IASUniverse.
Details will be provided to members at the annual meeting on October 13th.
The DOR has updated the requirements for the LA4 Report. The new report is now available for all CSC communities. If you have a local installation (e.g. Oracle) you can get the file here: LA4 LINK
If you need help with the install, contact DLS support and they will be happy to assist you.
All cloud communities already have the new LA4 report updated as of August 31st., 2016
CAMA System Bid Process
As mentioned in previous updates, the state is moving forward on its commitment to replace the current CSC/State CAMA system. MassIT is taking the lead in this process, having received a $500,000 capital allocation for this purpose.
The state procurement process is a bit different from municipal procurement, and can be a much lengthier process than municipal procurement. Because of a very tight timeline, and a state requirement that the first $500,000 needs to be expended in FY17, MassIT made the decision to proceed with an RFQ to convert all CSC CAMA users to another system.
Once a vendor is selected, the state will assist with the conversion of CSC communities to the new software. MASSIT funds will be used to cover these conversion costs. The DOR has pledged to help make the transition as smooth as possible. It is anticipated that the process to convert all towns will take several years, and, although there is no guarantee, the expectation is that MassIT will request funds to be available in FY18 and FY19 to complete the process as necessary.
In the interim, the system you are currently using will continue to be supported by both DOR and Stonewall Solutions.
The schedule is as follows:
Aug 22, 2016 RFQ released to Public
Aug 29, 2016 Questions Deadline
Sept 16, 2016 RFQ Bids Deadline
Sept 26-30, 2016 Vendor Demonstrations (Exact Dates TBA)
Oct 11, 2016 Bidder Decision Finalized
Oct 13, 2106 CSC Annual Meeting
There are a lot of questions and logistics involved in this process. The board is working diligently to identify all relevant issues, and potential options for membership consideration. Each of you will likely have many questions that you’d like clarification about. You may have ideas or perspectives that it would be important for the board to consider. Please contact the Executive Director or any CSC board member and let us know what concerns you, and your ideas or suggestions for solutions if appropriate.
If you’d like to see a copy of the RFQ, it is available here:
CSC Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting date has been set for Oct. 13, 2016. As noted above there will be very important items to discuss.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are delighted to announce that Stonewall Solutions Inc. has been selected to provide support services in response to the RFP procurement process.
The decision was very challenging, and the board really appreciated the members’ participation in this process. Your collective feedback helped tremendously.
All three vendors presented strong selling points in their favor as well as deficiencies in certain areas, each with different strengths and skill sets. The price proposal of Stonewall was the most advantageous at $80,000. It was most in keeping with our need to be fiscally responsible and to insure that our annual budget continues to be stable, while allowing for upgrades and benefits for the membership. Real Estate Research Consultants (RRC) and Regional Resource Group (RRG) price proposals were $96,000+, and $360,000+ respectively. Stonewall’s bid also fits within the current budget framework already approved for FY17 dues.
It was noted that a significant number of members expressed a preference for RRG. Utilization of their services would have required a more than 4 fold increase in dues ABOVE the already increased dues slated for FY17. We believe it is our responsibility to provide our membership with the best possible tools to get the job done, in a fiscally responsible manner. In this way, we can assure that ALL our members have an affordable solution.
Many communities, provided they have funds available, may choose to augment the services provided by the CSC by directly contracting with either of the two other vendors, as many currently do now, when they need additional help or services. This is certainly an option to consider, keeping in mind that municipalities are bound by State Retirement Board and Ethics rules vis-à-vis retired state or municipal employees.
We will be in touch over the next few weeks as we work out the specifics of our contract with Stonewall and how their work will likely interweave with the support services from the Dept. of Revenue’s Local Services division who are continuing their support role beyond the start of FY17.
Our long-term goal will be to insure that there is strong and effective support for our members and that the CSC has an excellent support solution in place regardless of any future changes at DLS.
Again, thank you for your input and participation in this process.
The Community Software Consortium (CSC) is soliciting Proposals for the acquisition of Software Support Services for its suite of Municipal Software. A software support service should be able to carry out tasks such as: remote trouble shooting and software conflict solving, installation and basic usability assistance, as well as supplying updates and patches for bugs and security holes in the supported software. Service should be able to support one or more cloud, server or PC-based platforms.
The CSC reserves the right to cancel or reject in whole or part, any or all proposals in the best interest of the CSC. Proposal deadline is 11:30 a.m. EDT on November 13, 2015. Late proposals will not be accepted.
The 2017 Membership dues are now ready for members.
Annual Dues for FY 2017The Community Software Consortium (CSC) consists of multiple membership tiers. Each community member belongs to the General Membership Tier and additionally can belong to one or more tiers.
Dues Assessments are determined annually by vote of the members of each tier.
Beginning in FY 2017, the members voted to have a 3-tiered dues based on the number of parcels in the community.
FY 2017 Dues (July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017)
The Community Software Consortium is officially a non-profit. We’ve received our IRS letter as well as tax exempt certification from the State of Massachusetts!
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