Montgomery CAD Streamlines the Exemptions Process Using Alltus

Context & Challenges

Adam Edmundson, Director of Operations at the Montgomery Central Appraisal District, has twice utilized Alltus to stabilize and transform two different departments. His current role oversees the Exemptions department (9 employees) and the Property Ownership department (7 employees).

In 2020, Adam implemented Alltus flagship product, Deeds Automation, in the Property Ownership department, successfully resolving a deeds backlog and earning recognition for his leadership. As a result, he was entrusted with additional responsibilities, including oversight of the Exemptions department.

By 2023, Montgomery County faced significant challenges: the Exemptions department had accumulated a backlog of 11,000 homestead exemptions, with a forms backlog of over 1 year. Processing was severely behind, causing inefficiencies and frustration. In 2023, Adam turned to Alltus Taxpayer Portal and Forms Technology to address the backlog and improve departmental performance.

Solution

Montgomery CAD collaborated with the Alltus team to eliminate the exemptions backlog and get the team fully utilizing the Taxpayer Portal and Forms product in 2024.

The Alltus Taxpayer Portal and Forms product streamlined the exemptions process for both taxpayers and the exemptions department.

The taxpayer form and portal is a simple solution that does the following:

• Taxpayers submit forms online.
• Forms with  incomplete or invalid applications are flagged, notifying the taxpayers of errors.
• Clerks can request more evidence from taxpayers right from the product with templated emails..
• With a single click, data is automatically populated into the county’s CAMA system.

Adam emphasized the time-saving benefits of digitization and the AI technology, but he also called out how important it was that clerks can now easily correspond with taxpayers via email—an improvement that significantly streamlined workflows.

Results

By fully adopting Alltus, the Exemptions department achieved transformative results:

• Increased Efficiency: The department was able to reallocate 4 of the 13 clerks to customer service roles, which significantly improves the taxpayer experience.
• Backlog Elimination: Exemptions processing stabilized to a standard 60-day window, down from the 1-year backlog in 2023.
• Improved Accuracy: Data entry errors dropped from 8% to 5% after adoption, and further reduced to 3%, with continued improvements expected.

In addition to the efficiency and accuracy results, Adam highlighted the positive impact on his team. The improved efficiency alleviated the clerks’ stress from the backlog and created opportunities for cross-training and professional growth. As Adam noted, “100% of the clerks love the product. They no longer feel the pressure of the exemptions backlog, and it has allowed us to help them develop and grow their careers within the appraisal district.”