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The threat of ransomware attacks on state and local agencies is as
persistent as it is pernicious in 2022. In a cyberattack earlier this
year, Bernalillo County in New Mexico had its computer systems disrupted
by ransomware, and the United Government of Wyandotte County in Kansas
was attacked last weekend.
A recently released report, “The State of Ransomware in Government
2021,” called the scourge of ransomware a “national emergency.” Local
governments were “far less successful at stopping the attacks” compared
with other sectors, according to the report. Meanwhile, a recent
national survey shows that fewer than half of state and local
governments have a ransomware incident response plan. Read more
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The
National Association of Realtors is among a group of 18 companies and
organizations, including IAAO, leading the charge against a recent court
ruling in St. Louis that allows lawsuits to be brought against
homeowners who use their own floor plan during the course of selling
their house. The Eighth Circuit ruled in favor of the plaintiff,
concluding that the defendants did in fact infringe upon their copyright
when they created and published the floorplans without authorization. Read more
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IAAO NEWS
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Registration open for 2022 Annual Conference
Conference registration
and hotel reservations for the 2022 IAAO Annual Conference, Aug. 28-31
in Boston, are now available. The IAAO Annual Conference is the premier
platform to share successes, discover best practices, and learn the
latest research in the field of property appraisal. Attendees can
register online for the in-person and virtual component or download a
paper registration form. Vision Government Solutions is the registration sponsor.
The Annual Conference
will take place at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston and hotel rooms
are available at the nearby Sheraton Boston. In-person attendees can
earn up to 12 credit hours from the main conference and eight additional
hours from pre-conference workshops. Virtual attendees will have 11
preselected credit hours available via the livestream. Read more
April webinar: How IAAO’s Gap Analysis led
to change in an assessor’s office
Join IAAO for a free
webinar at Noon Central on Friday, April 29, to learn about how the IAAO
Gap Analysis process can help local jurisdictions.
In 2019, the Cook
County, Illinois, Assessor’s Office did something unprecedented in its
recent history: It invited IAAO to conduct a practices-and-procedure gap
analysis of its office. Through interviews with staff and access to the
office, IAAO identified areas most in need of improvement.
The resulting audit was
publicly available and was the roadmap for Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s work
in reforming the office. Three years later, the office has improved its
technology, increased its hiring, and created more accurate and
equitable assessments.
This webinar will discuss how the gap analysis was conducted and how it was put into action. Register for webinar
May 1 is deadline for 2022 IAAO awards, Fellows
May is the deadline for
accepting nominations for the annual Awards and Fellows programs. The
Awards Program boasts 17 categories recognizing individual and
organizational achievements in several areas, including publications,
technical expertise, and service to IAAO. Award winners and Fellow
selections are recognized at the IAAO Annual Conference. The Awards Program
is a highly visible event and all IAAO members and affiliated
organizations are encouraged to submit nominations. Submit your
nominations here. Fellows nominees are brought forth by the IAAO membership each year.
Registration opens for online on Mass Appraisal Valuation symposium
Registration is now open
for the online symposium on Mass Appraisal Valuation presented by IAAO
and the International Property Tax Institute. The virtual symposium,
“Applications and Challenges,” will take place on June 22-23.
Programming is focused on appraisal, valuation and
assessment practitioners, valuation/assessment agency managers,
municipal representatives, policymakers, technology professionals,
academics, and educators interested in sharing experiences and knowledge
about property tax policy and valuations, including innovations,
theory, application, management, and practices. More information on the
symposium and registration is available at www.iaao.org/MAVS
New Roll Call publication available for download
The 2022 edition of the United States’ Roll Call is now available for
download from the IAAO website. Roll Call provides members a valuable
resource through updated links to assessor certification requirements
for every state in the U.S.
Included in the edition are the statutory language of every state’s
certification requirements; the current features of both mandatory and
voluntary certification programs, including whether exams or experience
are required with coursework; and approved education course information.
The United States’ Roll Call is an original reference guide
periodically updated to help the valuation industry in promoting
professional development globally. The Roll Call gives members quick
links to vital educational information while providing comparative
analyses to create benchmarks in educational requirements. Read more
NACo surveying impact of COVID on counties
As the anniversary of the American Rescue Plan Act's (ARPA) passage
approaches, the National Association of Counties (NACo), in
collaboration with the Pew Charitable Trusts, is conducting a brief
(10-minute) questionnaire to better understand the impacts of COVID-19
and the ARPA on county finances, as well as counties' perception of
future fiscal challenges.
NACo and Pew will use the information to analyze the state of county
finances, develop appropriate technical assistance, and better
understand county priorities. The responses collected will remain
anonymous, with only county names being mentioned for specific examples.
Responses will be aggregated for the majority of the analysis. Take the survey
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IAAO Connect members are talking about whether or not their
jurisdictions award bonuses or pay raises for employees who earn IAAO
professional designations. Read more
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AROUND THE INDUSTRY
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Walmart adds $1.75 million to township’s growing mountain of debt
It's no secret that Lansing Township, Michigan, has been struggling
financially for years. But now, in addition to the hundreds of millions
of dollars of debt it already has, the township is on the hook for about
$1.8 million to Walmart. Read more
Bill to put term limits on Louisiana tax assessors moves forward
A proposed constitutional amendment to place term limits on parish tax
assessors narrowly advanced this week in the Louisiana Legislature. The
bill would limit tax assessors to 12 consecutive years or three
consecutive terms in office, a proposal that would change the power
dynamic of a political office where incumbents can easily spend decades.
Despite pressure from the Louisiana Assessors Association, the House
Ways and Means Committee advanced the legislation, sending it to the
House floor where it will require a two-thirds supermajority to pass. Read more
Virginia governor signs solar property tax exemption into law
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill into law last week that
creates a property tax exemption for residential and mixed-use solar
energy systems up to 25 kilowatts. Supporters say the law expands energy
freedom for consumers and creates an additional incentive to do
business in the Commonwealth. Read more
It’s at least an $80 million problem. That’s how much money a late-2021
estimate says is sitting in escrow as corporate landowners in rural
Oklahoma protest their assessed value — and therefore their ad valorem
tax bill. The issue is hurting the state’s schools because they rely on
locally based ad valorem taxes for their budgets. Mandy Snyder, Noble
County Assessor, said the vast majority of property owners don’t protest
and simply pay their bill and move on. But the big time property owners
— primarily wind farms and oil and gas companies — have been protesting
their valuations to try to lower their tabs. Read more
Judge tosses out claims against Kansas county in racetrack lawsuit
A Shawnee County, Kansas, judge threw out a lawsuit that challenged how
the county had appraised the value of Heartland Motorsports Park.
Shawnee County District Court Judge Thomas Luedke granted the county’s
motion for summary judgment and dismissed all 11 counts brought against
the county by the owner of Heartland Park, Shelby Development LLC.
Lawyers for the track’s owner claimed the County Appraiser’s Office had
illegally and improperly conducted a valuation of the property. They
claimed the county had persuaded a third party to change the property’s
valuation from $5.5 million to $10.4 million. Claims included
negligence, fraud, conspiracy, and breach of contract. The Shawnee
County Appraiser’s Office argued there had been no improprieties that
affected the assessment and even if there had been, Shelby had suffered
no damage. Read more
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+ Titusville, Florida
GIS Cadastral Mapper, Brevard County Property Appraiser See moreValuation Appraiser, Brevard County Property Appraiser See more
+ Arlington, Virginia
Real Estate Assessment Director, Arlington County Government See more
+ Kissimmee, Florida
Commercial Appraiser, Osceola County Property Appraiser See more
+ Bend, Oregon
Property Appraiser I or II, Deschutes County See more
+ Crawfordville, Florida
Chief Property Appraiser, Wakulla County Property Appraiser See more
+ Chicago
Industrial Commercial Senior Analyst, Cook County Assessor's Office See more
+ Savannah, Georgia
Quality Control Analyst, Chatham County See moreQuality Control Database Administrator, Chatham County See more
+ Bernalillo, New Mexico
Senior Appraiser/Database Analyst, Sandoval County See moreSenior Appraiser, Sandoval County See more
+ Hillsboro, Oregon
Bilingual Property Appraiser, Washington County See more
+ Wichita, Kansas
Chief Deputy Appraiser, Sedgwick County Appraiser's Office See more
+ West Hartford, Connecticut
Property Appraiser I, Town of West Hartford See more
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International Association
of Assessing Officers
314 West 10th Street
Kansas City, Missouri 64105
816-701-8100
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Keith Robison
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