Bartholomew County commissioners on Monday approved the purchase of three new laptops for the county assessor’s office. They will replace outdated technology that is almost fully depreciated, said Bartholomew County Assessor Ginny Whipple.
The goal of replacing the computers with new laptops is to enable assessor’s office employees to take and submit notes while working in the field without first returning to the office. The addition of these laptops would expedite the process, allowing employees to serve more community members.
Whipple remarked about the volume of Bartholomew County residents that call or visit the office requesting services, saying the assessor’s office had more than 800 visitors during the last Form 11 season. The addition of this technology will ensure that the assessor’s office can keep up with the demand of the county.
The assessor’s office received two quotes for the three laptops. One bid from SHI was $6,635.76, while commissioners ultimately awarded an alternate bid from CWDG at $6,409.05. The cost will come out of the county general fund that was appropriated to the assessor’s office last year but was not used.
Whipple has already put software and necessary remote connectivity in place for the addition of the new laptops. The last piece is to purchase the equipment, Whipple said.
While there is no definite timeline for the delivery of the products, Whipple hopes to begin using the system before the end of the year.
