Commissioners defer decision after heated debate over county tax-software contract

Miss Cook, the county tax assessor-collector, objected to rescinding a prior termination and reauthorizing a contract with Harris Govern, saying her office and staff have struggled with the system since implementation. "HarrisGov makes us put in tickets. They can respond with their recommendation ... a week, or up to a month," she said, adding that Southwest Data "has never charged us for any call out fees."

Cook told the court that training and responsiveness from Harris Govern have been poor and that several staff have refused to work on the new system, calling the software "the most complicated ... backwards software program that I've ever seen." Commissioners noted the financial trade-off: attorneys have warned the county that exiting the current contract could trigger approximately $400,000 in penalties, while Cook said Southwest Data runs at under $24,000 a year. The court discussed costs, service levels and technical conversion issues and heard that county attorneys Bob Cole and Josh Manas had reviewed the contract.

After extended discussion that included questions about report comparability and whether appraisal-district staff were having problems, the court deferred the item for additional legal review and advice. Judge Sims asked staff to pursue counsel review (including Jim Allison) before the court takes further action.