Defiance County, a community with a rich history, is located in the Northwest region of Ohio. Composed of twelve townships; Adams, Defiance, Delaware, Farmer, Hicksville, Highland, Mark, Milford, Noble, Richland, Tiffin and Washington; the County covers 412 square miles. With three incorporated villages; which include Hicksville, Ney and Sherwood, along with the City of Defiance; the County has approximately 24,000 parcels.
In 2005, the Defiance County Treasurer, Karen Tubbs, and the County Auditor, Marlene Goodwin, realized the need for a new generation tax collection system. After going through a review process, two companies remained: Manatron and Appraisal Research. Ms. Goodwin, Ms. Tubbs and their staffs decided to purchase the Manatron MVP Tax solution along with the module for Manufactured Homes for its superior functionality and benefits.
Implementation of the new system began in February 2006 and was completed quickly and smoothly in 90 days. Any issues that did arise were taken care of promptly and to the County’s satisfaction. The County went live on May 8th and recently completed the first tax collection and settlement process on the new system.
“We were impressed with the knowledgeable staff, and their willingness to stay on task throughout the process,” Defiance County Auditor, Marlene Goodwin remarked. “Manatron has established User Group meetings to help address future needs as they arise and we have submitted some ideas and anticipate some will be implemented in future versions. My office staff and I appreciate this tool, that will keep the product current, and we feel it shows the long term commitment made to us by Manatron”.
“We are pleased with the system that Manatron has implemented in our office,” said Treasurer Karen Tubbs. “The cashiering system, which we have not had before, allows us to provide up to the minute tax information. Other features like lender electronic payment of taxes and the ability for the system to figure the 5% penalty have helped us be more effective in our service to the taxpayer.”