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Fresno County approves contract to replace 1960s property tax system with Megabyte platform
Summary
The Board of Supervisors unanimously authorized an agreement with Megabyte Systems Inc. to implement a modern property tax system that will provide real-time online updates and optional electronic tax bills; county staff said go-live is targeted for calendar 2028 and emphasized lessons learned from a prior failed attempt.
Fresno County supervisors voted unanimously March 17 to approve a contract with Megabyte Systems Incorporated to replace the county
—OBOL-era property tax platform and modernize assessor, auditor and tax-collector operations.
The board authorized the county
dministration to execute the implementation and perpetual-license agreement after a presentation from Oscar Garcia, who identified himself as the county controller, treasurer, tax collector and assessor-recorder. Garcia said the current system dates to the 1960s and requires overnight uploads for transactions; the new platform would provide "instantaneous" updates so a customer who pays in person sees their online account change immediately.
"One of the good things with Megabyte that the current system doesn't have" is the ability to send electronic tax bills and reminders to taxpayers who opt in, Garcia said during the presentation.
Megabyte president Jerry Makavoy told the board the vendor has changed its project approach since a prior county effort stalled. "Last time the project didn't fail because the idea was wrong. It failed because the conditions structure around the project weren't in line for success," Makavoy said, adding the company now expects "a far more structured discipline approach" with clearer scope, tighter timelines, checkpoints and accountability.
Supervisors asked about the earlier attempt and who would be responsible for payment security and integration with county payment providers. Garcia and the Megabyte team said Megabyte provides the payment portal and integrates with third-party payment processors; the payment provider collects funds and distributes them back to the tax collector under the county's separate contract.
Board members stressed caution given prior costs and delays but expressed support after staff described project governance and the assessor's involvement. The presentation noted an anticipated implementation target in calendar year 2028 (described in the presentation as fiscal-year timing), and the board approved the contract by voice vote.
What's next
County staff said they will finalize contract execution and proceed with implementation planning and vendor coordination with the assessor, auditor and tax-collector offices. The procurement package includes a website-hosting addendum and updated section references to correct prior numbering inconsistencies in contract drafts; the vendor team told the board it is bringing additional implementation and interface staff onto the project.
The board did not set a public rollback date or provide a milestone schedule in the meeting materials; staff told the board they expect to return with implementation updates as work progresses.
