Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC)
Issue Committee Meeting
Teleconference Minutes
February 26, 2008

Program Owner
Michelle Jones, Field Assistance Analyst

Designated Federal Official
Judi Nicholas

Members Present
Craig Capehart
Dean Conder
Dan Fretheim
Bob Haines
Louise McAulay
Jerry Melchior
David Monnier
Homer Sewell III
Ann Spiotto
Tommy Thompson
Wayne Whitehead, Chair
Regina White

Member Absent
Ed Johnson, Vice-Chair

Guests
Peggy Sue Unander
Christine Kitts

Staff
Dave Coffman, Program Analyst
Marla Ofilas, Secretary

Welcome and Announcements
Judi opened the meeting and Wayne welcomed everyone in attendance. Roll call was taken and a quorum was met.

TAC Visits
To gain a better understanding of the return preparation process, the members were charged with visiting local Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TAC).  Each member who visited a TAC discussed their observations with the committee.  

Bob found that the TAC he visited has no problem handling their return workload.  The existing return preparation process seems to work well. Bob also discovered the employees are very pleased with the Tax Wise software package.  They find it very easy to use and updates are readily available.

The staff at the TAC Homer visited was very interested in the committee’s project and provided a lot of information about the return preparation process.  Homer informed everyone that he was very impressed with the efficiency of the TAC he visited. 

Jerry and Dave Monnier observed the same TAC.  Jerry explained that one employee screens the customers when they arrive.  There are also instances when the manager will assist in the screening process. Jerry observed that this particular TAC is an example of a very busy office. Dave added that there should be a way to confirm (by telephone or other means) an appointment with the taxpayer.  The Social Security Administration office already has a confirmation process in place.
ACTION: Dean Conder will research the Social Security Administration’s process to confirm a scheduled appointment. Dean will provide his findings during the face-to-face meeting in May.

Judi explained that the IRS has explored a system that would generate a telephone call, attempting calls until the phone line is answered by a person.  When the call is answered, it would be routed to an IRS employee. The idea was to conserve on resources.  Many of the calls that were being made by IRS employees resulted in unproductive attempts.   

Bob noted that “no shows” did not seem to be a problem at the TAC he visited. Jerry said that the same was true for the TAC he visited.  

On her visit to a local TAC, Regina found that the IRS is testing a cash conversion kiosk which turns the cash into a money order. Currently, only authorized employees may receive cash from taxpayers.  This poses a problem when one of the authorized employees is not in the office. Once the cash is converted to a money order, any TAC employee can accept the payment. 

Tommy found the TAC he visited to be a very efficient office.  However, one of the main problems seems to be a lack of parking. In addition to Dave’s comment on confirming the appointment, Tommy explained that the staff conducts appointment reminder calls and informs taxpayers of the parking situation.   

Next Steps
Wayne said the committee is on schedule and looking good. Wayne asked for any additional comments.  No additional comments were made. 

Program Owner
Michelle felt the committee is progressing in the right direction. Michelle explained that the remaining TAC visits need to be completed so that the data can be consolidated.  Wayne agreed.

Closing
Wayne concluded that the face-to-face meeting will be on May 29 through May 31 and all written reports are due May 10.  Wayne thanked everyone for participating. Judi closed the meeting.