Assessor Levinson: "New Technology
Will Improve Home Inspection Workloads"

April 19, 2006
Media Contact: Randolph Yunker - (516) 571-2490

(Mineola, NY)  Nassau County Board of Assessors Chairman Harvey Levinson today announced the purchase of 67 TeleNavTrack global positioning system (GPS) cell phones from Nextel to help improve the efficiency of the field assessment inspection process for over 415,000 properties.

The TeleNavTrack GPS system, according to Assessor Levinson, will enable Department of Assessment Field Division supervisors to dispatch and schedule daily inspection projects and allow for accurate starting time reporting.  The cell phone will eliminate the loss of time associated with signing in and/or out at the office before traveling to or from locations throughout Nassau County.  The system will automatically record the arrival and departure times to inspection sites, provide assessors with the most time and gas efficient routes to homes, and provide an accurate mileage report.

“The new GPS cell phone system is a tremendous tool being used by many government entities and corporations throughout the country,” stated Assessor Levinson.  “The system will allow field division supervisors to monitor and adjust daily work assignments and employ the use of wireless forms that will be instantly transmitted to and from inspection sites.

“This is not ‘Big Brother,’” Assessor Levinson continued.  “It is a legitimate business tool that gives supervisors the means to manage his or her staff all through the day.”

In announcing the use of the GPS cell phone system, Assessor Levinson stressed that he will be reaching out to CSEA union representatives to discuss how the system will be used and establish monitoring protocols.

“Clearly, I am not interested in where my employees choose to eat lunch, nor do I want to monitor their after work activities,” stated Assessor Levinson.  “I do want my field division supervisors to be more ‘hands on,’ so that they can improve the workloads of assessors and field inspectors in a more efficient manner in real time.”

Assessor Levinson further explained that he sees nothing wrong with supervisors using this emerging technology as a tool to manage public employees who are afforded the freedom of being out of the office all day.

“As an elected official, I have an obligation to ensure that the taxpayers’ money is being well-spent and that employees are working productively,” stated Assessor Levinson.

In addition to improving the communication and scheduling of daily home inspections, Assessor Levinson pointed out that the GPS cell phone system can identify those employees who place themselves and the public at risk by violating speed restrictions while driving to inspection sites.

The Nextel i355 cell phone was purchased under government contract at $24.96 per unit – over $55 off the phone’s retail price.  Since the phone utilizes Internet networking, the monthly operating costs will be significantly lower than charges imposed using traditional wireless units.