Today, Grant Street Group announced the successful launch of three new online services that are fully integrated with TaxSys®, Grant Street's state-of-the-art, web-based revenue collection and distribution system. These new services - DeedExpress™, EscrowExpress™, and FRVIS Express™ - are online tools that radically simplify certain administrative tasks involving third parties.
DeedExpress™ is an online tax deed application service that allows tax collectors to automate the tax deed application process from end-to-end (i.e., from generating estimates to printing 512 and 513 Forms). With DeedExpress, tax certificate holders can go online to estimate and apply for tax deeds with minimal staff involvement.
St. Lucie County Tax Collector Bob Davis inaugurated DeedExpress in early 2008. Assistant Tax Collector Larry Clancy commented: "In addition to working well the software accomplished its intended purpose - to save a great deal of time."
Pinellas County, now using DeedExpress for the 2009 tax deed cycle, has experienced similar efficiencies. In the words of Chief Deputy Tax Collector Charles Thomas, by using DeedExpress, "the time to process approximately 2,000 cost estimates for a single tax certificate holder was reduced from 3 man weeks to 27 minutes."
TaxSys and DeedExpress customers enjoy a number of additional conveniences as a result of the integration between the two systems. For example, there were no cumbersome data downloads or interfaces between two different applications supplied by two different vendors. Using both TaxSys and DeedExpress, tax collectors can manage the entire tax deed process seamlessly and effortlessly.
Citrus, Okaloosa, and Osceola Counties are also currently using DeedExpress.
EscrowExpress™, the first online escrow tax payment processing system in Florida, revolutionizes the process by providing escrow companies, tax paying agents, and tax collectors up-to-date, synchronized information from a central web portal, which eliminates the burdensome practice of exchanging multiple files or CDs and the need for the tax collectors' staff to identify and correct account and data errors.
With EscrowExpress, escrow companies and tax paying agents simply go online to download their account files and the entire tax roll and then upload their request files and payment files. Data uploaded to EscrowExpress integrates seamlessly with TaxSys, allowing escrow companies and agents access to up-to-the-minute account information and quickly alerting them of any errors or changes in their account data. In the words of Justin Gordon, a Tax Analyst in the Okaloosa County Tax Collector's Office, "Users are extremely happy with how easy it is for them to go on and submit their request file."
As of September 15, 2008, Tax Collectors Chris Hughes of Okaloosa County and Diane Nelson of Pinellas County initiated pilot EscrowExpress programs. "Online escrow payment file processing with Grant Street Group's new EscrowExpress system was a significant improvement in our customer service, and a relief from the frustrations we experienced with the outdated mainframe processing system," noted Ms. Nelson. "This innovation has improved our business methodology, streamlined our services, and minimized errors."
Since the pilot period began, 19 escrow companies and tax paying agents have used EscrowExpress to process and pay $466 million in taxes for 182,707 properties.
FRVIS Express™ is a unique system integrated with TaxSys that allows vehicle and vessel cashiering information to be sent to and received from the State of Florida's Division of Motor Vehicle's Florida Real Time Information System (FRVIS). Tax collectors can cashier state related FRVIS transactions (such as annual vehicle registration renewals) directly in TaxSys along with any additional types of transactions (e.g., Real Estate Tax, Local Business Tax, Tourist Development Tax, etc.) that the customer wishes to pay. Once the transaction is complete, the state-related FRVIS transaction is automatically marked as paid in full in the State's FRVIS database.
FRVIS Express gives tax collectors the flexibility to effectively operate with a "universal" cashiering system that supports multiple types of customer transactions.
Tax Collector Chris Hughes of Okaloosa County was the first to launch FRVIS Express in January 2009. To date, the County has successfully cashiered over 22,000 FRVIS transactions in TaxSys using FRVIS Express. Following the successful launch in Okaloosa County, Citrus County began using FRVIS Express in March, and Highlands County will begin using the system in April.
DeedExpress, EscrowExpress, and FRVIS Express are currently available to all Florida counties using TaxSys.
For more information about these or any of our revenue collection services, please contact Ian Yorty, Director of Florida Business Development, at 305-710-8926, or Ian.Yorty@GrantStreet.com.