SpatialNews Press Release
Plexis Group Introduces New Software at
State Assessor's Conference
INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 30, 2001--Plexis Group, LLC, an
Indianapolis-based technology solutions provider, made a major announcement at the Indiana State
Assessor's Conference Tuesday, January 30. Plexis president Tom Longest revealed the company's
role in developing a new software that could revolutionize the property tax assessment process in the
state of Indiana.
Tax assessment procedures in the state are under intense scrutiny at present. Indiana is one of only
two states using cost-based property valuation instead of the more widely accepted fair market value
cost tables. A lawsuit in the town of St. John, Indiana prompted the State Board of Tax
Commissioners to reconsider its position on the subject, with public hearings held to gather feedback
from Indiana residents. Current plans call for the commissioners to recommend a valuation option to
Governor O'Bannon by July 1, 2001.
In the midst of this furor, Plexis Group has forged a strategic alliance with Resource Information
Associates (RIA), creating an efficient, flexible property tax assessment software to be released in
conjunction with the tax commissioners' new guidelines. Known as ecama(TM) -- for enhanced
computer aided mass appraisal -- the new software provides a turnkey property tax assessment
solution for Indiana counties. Using OS 32 bit technology, ecama is built on a client/server architecture
that will support whichever valuation option the State Board of Tax Commissioners chooses. It also
gives assessors something they've been asking for: another choice in tax assessment software.
Through their extensive work with county governments, Plexis learned that some counties were
growing frustrated with the assessment software available because the programs limited their abilities.
"County clients have told us that they need software with more features than what is currently available
in Indiana. So we decided to see what we could do about it," says Plexis president Tom Longest. The
company allied itself with RIA, a firm with more than twenty years' experience in software
development, and ecama was born.
Using the software currently available, many counties must pay the provider for access to their own
data. ecama allows for data migration from legacy systems currently in use by Indiana counties. On
board importing and exporting of data is included with the software, making the data accessible for
other uses. ecama supports field data collection devices such as the Palm OS(R) or pen-based
computers. And ecama also features a user-friendly sketching utility.
In addition to these benefits, ecama promises to make the property tax process more efficient, in
terms of both cost and time. A centralized cross-departmental property location feature will eliminate
data duplication. A street index table with address grid will replace the time-consuming task of
verifying taxing unit distribution. ecama can also save counties 11 cents per mailing on tax bills by
ensuring that data adheres to Postal Code standards for addressing. "This really adds up," says Plexis
coordinator Randall Smith. "The average county can save thousands of dollars per year based on
adherence to postal code standards. For example, a large county with 50,000 parcels could save
approximately $15,000 a year."
The interface can be customized by the end user to integrate with other products as well as other
county departments -- GIS, Auditor, Recorder, E911, Highway, Surveyor, etc. It is also open
database connectivity (ODBC) compliant, allowing easy access to data and integration with third party
applications. Plexis Group's efiniti product, an Internet-based GIS application, easily functions using
ecama tax data. "Counties can use ecama to import tax record information into efiniti and display it on
the Web," explains Plexis director Scott Stephens.
"We've hit on some of the major issues for tax assessors with this product," says Randall Smith.
Scott Stephens concurs, adding, "We're anticipating a lot of enthusiasm." Plexis Group expects ecama
to be available by June 1, 2001.
Plexis Group is a young company with a rich heritage in technology and service to public agencies.
The company provides a wide range of technology-related services, including development of custom
GIS applications, consulting, training/support, and data migration/conversion. For more information
about Plexis Group's abilities, contact Tom Longest at (317) 841-4282, via e-mail at
tlongest@plexisgroup.com, or visit www.plexisgroup.com.
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