...A Look BackProperty-Based

Assessing

Equalization

County/Local Tax

Delinquent County Tax

Delinquent Personal Property

Special Assessments

Principal Residence Exemption Audit

Drain Assessment

Community Development

Financial Management

General Ledger

Accounts Payable

Cash Receipting

Miscellaneous Receivables

Payroll

Employee Self-Services

Human Resources

Timesheets

Purchase Orders

Fixed Assets

Utility Billing

Purchasing Web Portal

Employee Web Portal

Inventory Management

Work Orders

Companion

Animal Licensing

Cemetery Management

Business Licensing

Complaint Tracking

Internet Services

BS&A SOFTWARE 1st Quarter NewsletterJanuary - March 2011

14965 Abbey LaneBath, MI 48808517.641.8900517.641-8960 www.bsasoftware.com

A Look Ahead...

Many thanks to all of our customers for making it another great year. Due to your continued support our software sales grew another 19% in 2010. Our customer base is also growing with the addition of 55 brand new Municipal clients this year. We now have programs implemented in 97% of Michigan Cities, Villages, Townships, and Counties! Additionally, we are pleased to report that we’ve had over 450 existing customers successfully convert one or more of their BSA applications from pervasive to .Net in the last 12 months. That’s over 1,200 applications in total! The positive response has been overwhelming and we look forward to a new year with you.

As we head into the new year, here are a few new things to watch for:

Financial Management User Group Meeting Videos available on our websiteEach year we hold our annual User Group Meetings where we discuss many new features of the programs, gather ideas for future improvements and answer a lot of questions in regards to the applications used. These meetings are very informational for our customers and we want to make sure

that everyone can take advantage of that opportunity. If you are unable to attend any one of the scheduled meetings, we will be videotaping and posting them on our website for viewing. To access the videos, visit our website at http://financialmanagement.bsasoftware.com and click on the User Groups meeting link under the Learn More section of the site.

New Applications in DevelopmentWe are currently working on the development of Work Orders and Inventory Management, as well as, a new Online Permit Application Module. Additionally, expected release dates for Animal Licensing.Net and P.R.E. Audit.Net are February and May, respectively.

BS&A Breaks Ground on New Building AdditionDue to our continuing growth, we just broke ground on our 2nd building expansion in 3 years! This 5,000 sq ft. addition will help us to accommodate the growth we foresee in the near future and allow us to hire more software developers, marketing and training representatives, tech support staff, as well as add on a new state of the art server room! We will be posting pictures throughout the construction process.

Program Points & Department Details...

Assessing System

Tax System

2 BSA Software 1st Quarter

Program PointsThere have been several small changes to the Assessing system. As always those users with internet access can visit our website at www.bsasoftware.com and download the latest update. There is also a CHANGE LOG on the site that will give a list of all of the changes contained in the update, as well as any

prior changes.

STC CPI For 2011 Roll The STC has released the 2011 Consumer Price Index for the 2011 Assessing year. To enter this into the Assessing System go into Program Management/Gov Unit Options/Global Calculation Options and enter the Percent into the CPI % field as 1.7.

Required STC FormsThe STC recently distributed the 2011 Personal Property

Statement, and the new multipliers are included in the latest program update. We plan to modify the Assessment Change Notice as soon as that form is available as well.

Remember to let us know if you would like a “year-end” program update. Since 95+% of our users get updates from the web we only mail updates when requested.

Assessing & Tax .Net Report Writer ClasssNew this quarter! Check the calendar and class descriptions on pages 5 and 6 for more information on these classes.

Program PointsWinter tax collection should be well underway at this point. We would like to recommend that you verify or enter any applicable winter interest/penalty rates before February 14th. Once these rates have been entered and payments have been taken with interest/penalty do not modify these dates without contacting our Tax Support Department.

Additionally the “Stop Charging Penalty/Interest Dates” should always be February 28th, even if that day falls on a weekend. The Tax Program will allow you to continue taking payments with the February 28th date by changing the posting and interest dates at the bottom of your screen. If you need assistance, please call our Tax Support Department for assistance.

As Settlement quickly approaches, preparing in advance will help make the process run more smoothly. As mentioned in the last newsletter, run a mini-settlement to make sure the monies you have collected and disbursed balance. Many municipalities run these reports monthly to assure payments and disbursements are up-to-date.

Program Points & Department Details... - Run the Questionable Parcel/Payments Report - Click on the Reports Menu, Balancing/Settlement Reports, Questionable Parcels/Payments Report

- Run the Balancing Recap Report – Click on the Reports Menu, Balancing/Settlement Reports

We also have a list of other Helpful Settlement Reports in both our .net and pervasive versions of Tax.

- In Pervasive click on the Help Menu, then click on View Documentation, and click on Helpful Settlement Reports.

- In .Net click on the Help Menu, then click on View Documentation, and then click on Manual. On the left click on Search and type in Helpful Settlement Reports.

Pervasive & .NET Tax- Special Act/Classification - CFT REHAB PA210 of 2005 & CFT PA227 of 2008 were added and will now have their own Tax Millage table in both pervasive and .NET Tax

.Net Feature HighlightTax .Net- Payoff calculator has been added

• Shows 3 months of any applicable interest and/or penalties that are due.• Uses today’s date as the 1st of 3 months dates. These dates can be modified.

- Quick Tax Disbursements• Ability to run the Quick Tax Disbursement for both seasons.

Special Assessments .Net- Installment amount detail. – By clicking on the installment amount you are able to see the complete detail for that installment.

Delinquent Personal Property .Net- Ability to quickly pay delinquent taxes from the tax record detail window.

Community Development

New BS&A Message Center Many of our customers probably have already seen our new Message Center System, which was implemented in the late summer within our Financial Management Applications. This handy information center was developed as yet another way to keep our customers informed of new features, upcoming classes and any topics that may be helpful within the systems. Any feedback on the Message Center is very welcome and we appreciate your comments. We will be adding new information each month, so if you have any ideas of what you would want your users reminded or informed of, feel free to contact Financial Management Support at fundsupport@bsasoftware.com or by calling (517) 641-8900.

Upcoming ClassesFund Accounting I FEB 15 9-4 MAR 29 9-4

Fund Accounting II FEB 17 9-4 MAR 31 9-4

Financial Management .NET Report DesignerJAN 10 9-4MAR 7 9-4

Class descriptions can be found on page 5. The cost for each class is $195/person.

Financial Management

1st Quarter BSA Software 3

New Program Information Building Department .Net (Newly released)BS&A Software is excited to announce the release of the Building Department .Net program. This program, along with Field Inspection .Net and the soon-to-be-released ‘On-Line Permit Applications Module’ make up the Community Development suite of programs.

As anticipated, we are currently experiencing a large volume of orders and upgrades to our new .Net programs and we are doing our best to get municipalities upgraded as quickly as possible. If you have already sent in your proposal, we very much appreciate your patience. Please note that some training will be required (even for an upgrade) so that users can fully utilize the new features of the program.

Highlights include:• Microsoft SQL Database

• Charting

• Scheduling for non-inspection related events

• Work Flows

• Inspection Checklists

• GIS Capabilities

• True Invoicing

• Quick Receipt Entry Screen

• Accrual Based Accounting and New Accounting Reports

• Improved filtering for reports, letters, charts & GIS

• Improved Integrations to other BS&A Apps

• Better Administrative Features and an all new reporting system with many new enhancements.

Field Inspection.Net Last fall we released the Field Inspection .Net program which replaced the Pervasive-based Replication Module. This new inspector program is tablet based and interfaces with both the Pervasive and .Net versions of the Building Department application.

In-House DemoWe will be holding an in-house demonstration on February 23, 2011. Please register for the demo by calling Tricia (517.641.8900) by February 9th.

The demonstration will highlight the functionality, features and use, as well as provide an opportunity for questions and answers. The demo will be held at our office in Bath from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Please feel free to dress casually as we are a casual company.

As always, please call Community Development Technical Support at 517.641.8900 if you have any questions, would like literature on any of our BS&A programs or would like a proposal.

Pervasive Version NewsAs usual, we have released several update patches to address certain concerns found in the software. We recommend that you update your program to the latest version at your earliest convenience and continue to update on a weekly or monthly basis. This can easily be done by going to Help| Download Latest Version from within the Building Department application.

New Online Class Registration ProcessYou can now register for any Financial Management classes or meetings directly from our website! To access all class lists, information and to register, go to http://financialmanagement.bsasoftware.com and click on the News/Classes tab located at the top of the screen. Click on Classes and you will see a current listing of all available classes. These are specific to Financial Management at this time. Fill out all fields on the registration page and then click on Complete Registration. Once we receive the registration, you will receive a confirmation email. You may also register using the form

included in this newsletter.

New Support Technicians in the Financial Management DepartmentWe would like to welcome Preston Weber to the Financial Management Support Department. We are very excited to have him as part of our team! In addition to his new duties at BS&A, Preston is also pursuing his MBA at Northwood University.

Online PaymentsIn addition to our partnership with Official Payments, we’ve recently partnered with Point & Pay and Municipal Payments. These credit card processing companies interface with Internet Services to allow online payments of BSA tax, delinquent tax, utility, and permit payments.

Are you online yet?35% of our Assessing & Tax customers have their data online through the Internet Services, making it available to the public 24/7. And remember, you can provide this service for no cost to the Municipality.

Internet Services

Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous. Confucius

4 BSA Software 1st Quarter

Technical SupportWe encourage you to take advantage of using email to contact

our support staff. This is especially useful for those customers

who do not work in their offices each day during regular business

hours.

Please keep in mind not all situations can be handled through

email. Occasionally we many need to speak with you.

Assessing asgsupport@bsasoftware.comTax taxsupport@bsasoftware.comDelq Tax dlqtax@bsasoftware.comDelq Personal Property taxsupport@bsasoftware.comSpecial Assessment taxsupport@bsasoftware.comBuilding Dept. permitsupport@bsasoftware.comUtility Billing fundsupport@bsasoftware.comFinancial Management fundsupport@bsasoftware.comInternet Services is@bsasoftware.com

Sending Data/Messages to SupportPlease remember to note on your envelope or enclosure the department or person that has requested the data. It is also important to label the diskettes or CD sent. Our goal is to serve you as quickly as possible and unlabeled items could cause a delay in that process.

Technical Support & Training Information...

Assessing CoursesLevel I - Program Introduction & SetupRecommended for the Assessor or designated new user of the Assessing/Equalization System. The course will cover all master list setup in Program Management and its importance in data entry and reporting. Roll balancing and frequently used reports will also be covered. Understanding the importance of a plan to remove parcels from the override calculation status will be discussed.

Level II - Assessment Roll & Data EntryThis course demonstrates how to perform the assessment roll including name/address changes, sales, uncapping, P.R.E.s, building permits, and processing splits. Entering all types of appraisal information will also be covered.

Level III - Land Tables, ECFs & Sales StudiesDesigned for the user that will be responsible for creating/maintaining land rates, analyzing/setting ECFs, and performing sales studies. The course will also review related reports for each of these features.

Level IV- Assessing Cycle & Special Acts ParcelsThis course reviews the entire assessment cycle, beginning with creating a new assessment year database, rolling over the database, and processing all types of adjustments through end of assessment roll review (needed prior to sending Change Notices). As a part of this course, Special Acts parcels will be reviewed with ideas and reports that are useful for managing special rolls.

Apex SketchThis class will cover the use of the Apex IV or Medina Version Assessor sketching program to draw both buildings and land, and its integration into the Equalizer Assessing System.

Personal PropertyThis one-day class is designed for assessors, appraisers and other office staff who perform duties pertaining to the processing, data entry and reporting of Personal Property. Topics discussed in detail are printing of the personal property statements, processing

statements, assessing buildings on leased land, estimating assessments for non-filers and Board of Review changes.

Commercial/IndustrialThis one-day class will cover the details of inputting Commercial/Industrial structures into the Equalizer Assessing System. Examples of Calculator, Segregated, Unit-in-Place and Income Capitalization will be used.

Splits/CombinationA one-day class to cover parcel splits/combinations in the Assessing System.

Report Writer, Queries and Filters for Tax & Assessing (Pervasive version)See description on next page.

6-Hour Continuing Education CreditAll Equalizer Assessing & Tax Courses listed are hands-on and held at BS&A’s training facility. The State Tax Commission has approved these elective courses for 6-hour continuing education credit.

Annual Service FeesYour “Support Agreement,” which covers program updates and technical support, guaranteed that fees will not change for the first three years that your municipality uses our software. After that time we reserve the right to increase fees by the cumulative Consumer Price Index or 6%. Therefore, if you were a new customer in 2008, your 2011 Support Fee will increase 6%. This does not apply to upgrades to the .Net programs where fees are increased by the annual CPI, or 1.7%.

1st Quarter BSA Software 5

Level I - Introduction & Creating a Tax RollRecommended for the Treasurer or person creating their first tax roll using the EQ Tax System. Course covers general setup and tax setup items relevant to creating a tax roll. Importing from EQ Assessing, developing a tax roll checklist, and establishing millage rates for all billing types is also covered, as well as working with mortgage information and reviewing options for adding special assessments to the tax bill. A review of the reports available for balancing purposes and tax bill printing throughout the roll setup will be presented.

Level II - Working with the Tax RollDesigned for any Tax System user working with an existing tax roll throughout the course of the collection cycle. Roll maintenance such as name/address updates, mortgage codes, deferments, and handling taxpayer inquiries will be covered. Course will also include payment processing, adjustments, and roll balancing with reports related to each item.

Equalizer Special Assessment SystemProgram setup and creating a multi-year, principal/interest type of Special Assessment District with various benefit calculation methods will be covered. Creating a separate billing for special assessments and/or billing the annual installment on a current tax bill will also be reviewed.

Delinquent Personal Property SystemDesigned to acquaint new users with the Equalizer Delinquent Personal Property System. Topics discussed in detail are initial setup, data entry, generating reports, entering general ledger account numbers, and receipting. Also discussed will be the use of the built-in Report Writer.

Tax Courses

Report Writer, Queries and Filters for Tax & Assessing (Pervasive Version)Designed for any interested Equalizer Assessing or Tax System users. The features of the Report Writer are the same for both systems and will be covered in detail. Examples are given of creating custom reports.

Tax.NetDesigned for the experienced user of the current EQ Tax application, this course will introduce the user to the new .Net Tax system. Topics covered include the conversion process and new features, as well as the acclimation of changes from the old to the new system.

Special Assessments.NetDesigned for the experienced user of the current EQ Special Assessment application, this course will introduce the user to the new .Net Special Assessment system. Topics covered include the conversion process and new features, as well as the acclimation of changes from the old to the new system.

Tax .Net Report DesignerThis course will introduce users of the Tax.Net System to the features and functions of the new Report Designer. Sample custom reports will be created in class in addition to instruction on creating and using filters and queries.

CommunityDevelopment Courses

Fund Accounting IThis course is designed for anyone wishing to grasp the basics of fund accounting. Topics covered will be: description of fund accounting, components of a uniform chart of accounts, typical accounting transactions including inter-fund activity, pooled cash vs. non-pooled cash, internal controls, preparing an account reconciliation, budgeting, basic financial statements and what to expect during your annual audit.

Fund Accounting IIThis course is designed for those wishing to learn more of the reporting aspects of fund accounting and more advanced topics. Topics covered will be: GASB 34 reporting, F-65 reporting, fixed assets including, capitalization; depreciation; repairs and maintenance; disposals and improvements, purchase orders and encumbrances, and project accounting.

Financial Management Courses

Introduction Course for Support StaffThis class presents the fundamentals necessary for data entry and primary program management and is designed for those users who are new to the System and wish to learn how to best utilize the System in their daily operations. Class contents include program setup features, how to add permits, schedule and print daily inspections, add inspection results, print standard formatted letters, how to set up and manage projects, and how to best utilize the automated reminder feature as well as many other components useful operations.

Administration Staff (Advanced)Created for administrative-level users, this class covers more advanced features and how to best utilize the System for property information management. Topics covered in this class are Report Writing and Letter Writing instructions. Also included in this class will be such items as project management issues, user account management, maintenance utilities, name management information, mass letter writing features and other administrative-level topics. Suggested prerequisite: Support Staff Introduction Course.

** All classes, with the exception of the ‘.Net Training Classes’, will continue to use the Windows Version for demonstration purposes..

Assessing.NetDesigned for the experienced user of the current EQ Assessing application, this course will introduce the user to the new .Net Assessing system. Topics covered include the conversion process and new features, as well as the acclimation of changes from the old to the new system.

Assessing .Net Report DesignerThis course will introduce users of the Assessing.Net System to the features and functions of the new Report Designer. Sample custom reports will be created in class in addition to instruction on creating and using filters and queries.

Financial Management .Net Report Designer This class is designed for any Financial Management System user interested in learning more about the Report Designer function within the .Net applications. The class will cover creating custom reports, running report queries and editing reports.

.Net Report Designer Course (Financial Management)

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Dnn Web Design ClassThis is a FREE class offered by I.T. Right.

Instructor: Daniel P. Eggleston, MCSE+I & Melissa Eggleston of IT RIGHTClasses are held at BS&A Software from 9 to noonPlease call I.T. Right to register 517.318.0350

IT Right Web Design Learn the basics of Dnn Software & maintain your own professional looking website.

Host I.T. Right

6 BSA Software 1st Quarter

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Groups of 4 or more may schedule Assessing & Tax Training in Big Rapids with Dan Kirwin. Contact 517-819-3625.

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AssessingLevel I

AssessingLevel III

AssessingLevel IV

Tax Level II

APEX Sketch

Commercial/Industrial Splits & CombinationDelinquent Personal Property

Bldg. Dept.Support Intro

Bldg. Dept.Administrative

Fund Accounting I

Fund Accounting II

AssessingLevel II

Special Assessments

APEX Sketch

Bldg. Dept.Support Intro

Bldg. Dept.Administrative

Fund Accounting I

Fund Accounting II

I.T. RightDnn Web Design

Bldg. Dept.Support Intro

Bldg. Dept.Administrative

Tax Level I

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Fund Accounting.Net Report Designer

I.T. RightDnn Web Design

I.T. RightDnn Web Design

Assessing .NetTraining

Assessing .NetTraining

Tax .NetTraining

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Asg/Tax (pervasive) Report Writer

Financial Mgmt .NetReport Designer

Community Dev.Users Group

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Assessing .NetReport Designer

Tax .NetReport Designer

1st Quarter BSA Software 7

LocationTraining classes are held in our office in Bath, MI. BS&A Software has historically been a casual company and we encourage our customers to dress comfortably when attending a class. Feel free to wear jeans or shorts (weather permitting, of course)!

InstructorsTypically, class instructors will be Dan Kirwin (Assessing & Tax), Chris Polack (Tax), Jeff Howe (Building Department), Bill Garner (Utility Billing) or Jason Hafner (Fund Accounting). Occasionally, another qualified member of our staff may teach a class, depending on the availability of the primary instructors.

Class TimeEach class is one full day from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. with a lunch break. Lunch is on your own; restaurants will be discussed in class.

Class Fees/Invoicing InformationClass fee is $195 per person/per class. We ask that you DO NOT send payment until you are invoiced. Advanced registration is required by filling out and returning the form below. Sorry, no phone reservations will be accepted.

ConfirmationConfirmation of your registration will be sent prior to the scheduled class date(s). This will include directions to our office and hotel information. No hotel rooms are blocked; reservations are the responsibility of the attendee(s).

Cancellation PolicyBS&A Class Cancellation: At least four (4) individuals must be registered for a class to be held. In the event of low registration, the class will be cancelled. Those registered will be notified at least one week prior to the scheduled date and will be given priority to register in the next available class.

Attendee Cancellation: Cancellation by attendees made less than four (4) working days prior to class, or a “no-show” without prior notification, will result in a $50 administration fee per attendee.

Class Date # Attending Registrant Information

Registration Information1st Quarter, 2011

Mail or Fax Completed Form to:BS&A Software ~ 14965 Abbey Lane ~ Bath, MI 48808

Fax 517.641.8960

AssessingAssessing Level IAssessing Level IIAssessing Level IIIAssessing Level IVPersonal PropertyAPEX SketchCommercial/IndustrialSplits & Combination .Net Assessing TrainingAssessing .Net Report Designer

TaxTax Level ITax Level IISpecial AssessmentsDelinquent Personal PropertyAsg/Tax Report Writer Tax .Net TrainingSpecial Asmt .Net TrainingTax .Net Report Designer

Community DevelopmentSupport Staff IntroAdministrative (Advanced)

Financial ManagementFund Accounting IFund Accounting IIFinancial Mgmt .Net Report Designer

I.T. Right CourseWeb Design (9am-Noon)

Unit:

County:

Contact:

Phone:

Email:

Attendees:

Please provide an alternate phone or fax number in the event we cannot reach you at the number provided above.

_______ - _______ - ____________

* Please note: If you do not receive a confirmation

within 2 business days upon submission of

your registration, please call us to confirm your

reservation for the class.