Voting on the special election to ratify additions to the IAAO bylaws will run from Jan. 25 to Feb. 9.
   The proposed bylaw amendments are primarily procedural in nature but impact the ability of the board to establish councils and affinity groups.
   Any updates to IAAO bylaws must be voted on by IAAO members. Intelliscan, the firm handling the election, will send members an informational email on Jan. 22 and follow up with the ballot on Jan. 25. Voting closes on Feb 9. Sections to be voted on are:

Apply soon for a Richard Almy Research Grant
   IAAO is accepting research topics submissions for the 2024 Richard Almy Research Grant Program and IAAO members, along with students and faculty, are eligible to submit proposals.
   The Richard Almy Research Grant Program, formerly the Academic Partnership Program, provides financial support for IAAO members, students, and faculty to complete research in areas related to property appraisal, assessment administration, and property tax policy.
   The deadline to apply for 2024 is Jan. 31, 2024. Download an application here.

Feb. 2 deadline for topic proposals for virtual appraisal symposium
   The International Property Tax Institute and IAAO will present a joint (virtual) Mass Appraisal Valuation Symposium (MAVS 2024) on June 26-27, and are soliciting program topics for the symposium.
   The theme of the virtual MAVS is “Challenges and Opportunities,” and IPTI and IAAO are inviting potential speakers to submit topics to be included in the program.
   Use the online application at www.iaao.org/mavspresent24 to submit the presenter information, topic, and a short synopsis of the proposed topic. The deadline to submit topic proposals is Feb. 2.

Early registration for GIS/Val Tech ends Feb. 12
   Registration is open for the 2024 GIS/Valuation Technologies Conference, April 8-11 at the Le Meridien/Sheraton Charlotte Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina. Early bird registration will continue through Feb. 12.
   Additional workshops have been set up this year and the optional pre- and post-conference workshops will provide deep dives into many important topics.
   The GIS/Valuation Technologies Conference for professionals in property assessment, tax administration, mapping, and information technology has been the favorite annual event for assessors and GIS professionals who use technology to make property assessment and tax administration more accurate and efficient for a quarter of a century.
   See the GIS page for more info.
 
Interested in earning an IAAO designation? Attend the Feb. 15 Zoom chat
   If you are interested in an IAAO designation, Professional Development Committee members are continuing to offer Zoom chats on the second Thursday of every other month to answer questions and share experiences about earning a designation.
   The next chat is Thursday, Feb. 15, and will be a discussion on earning an IAAO designation. Current designees will be available to answer your questions. There is no charge, and you can register here.    
   Future chats will focus on CAE and RES designations, the MAS and AAS designations, and the CMS and PPS designations. Additional chat dates and links to register are on the designation discourse page.
 
EagleView to host Jan. 31 webinar on uncovering lost revenue and boosting accuracy
    Take a deep dive into the significance of sketch verification for property assessors during a webinar by EagleView Technologies on Wednesday, Jan. 31.
   By integrating sketch verification into regular assessment practices, assessors can recapture missed tax dollars and streamline their review processes, ensuring no change goes unnoticed. Sign up to explore how staying proactive with sketch verification can seal the cracks, bolstering both efficiency and revenue for local governments.
    The webinar, “Sketch Verification: The Key to Uncovering Lost Revenue and Boosting Assessment Accuracy,” will be offered by EagleView an IAAO Strategic Partner from noon-1 p.m. Central on Wednesday, Jan. 31. Register here.

Oklahoma governor appoints Larry Stein to state’s GIS council
   Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Oklahoma County Assessor Larry Stein to a four-year term on the State Geographic Information Systems Council to represent county assessors statewide.
   “Being appointed by the Governor is an honor and I’m very proud to represent my assessor colleagues on this important council,” Stein said.
   “Oklahoma County has been at the tip of the spear using GIS technology to serve the public and perform our duties faster-cheaper-better,” Stein said.
   Oklahoma’s State Geographic Information Systems Council was formed in 1994 and consists of 19 member agencies and university representatives.

NYC property tax system, called unfair by advocacy groups, likely to stay in place
   New York's high court heard arguments Tuesday that sought to strike down New York City’s method of taxing residential properties, a system critics say punishes minority neighborhoods and rewards wealthy, predominately white ones. But it is unlikely to overturn the decades-old system. Read more

Washington state Democrats propose new tax on real estate sales over $3 million to fund affordable housing
   Washington state Democrats are again looking to raise taxes on expensive property sales to help pay for affordable housing.
   A bill that dropped last week would add a tax to the sale of real estate over about $3 million. Revenue from that tax, estimated at just under $300 million every two years, would provide a funding stream to pay for affordable housing projects. The bill would also decrease the tax rate for property sales under $750,000.
   “We’ve made a commitment to housing,” said sponsor and House Finance Chair Rep. April Berg, D-Mill Creek. “We’ve made a commitment to Washingtonians to help them at their kitchen tables with their expenses. This bill does both.” Read more
 

Most Nebraskans oppose governor’s plan to offset property taxes with higher sales tax
   Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen’s proposal to shift more local property tax burdens onto the state sales tax appears to have landed like a thud with likely voters. A conservative pollster’s survey this week of more than 800 likely voters indicated seven out of 10, or 70%-19%, opposed increasing the sales tax to provide property tax relief.

   More than half of the Nebraskans interviewed — 60%-14% — told the pollster they would prefer hard caps on local spending increases over increasing the sales tax to offset property taxes. Read more

Housing market 2024: here’s the average house price in every state
   Whether you’re interested in buying or selling a house, it’s important to know how much houses are worth in your area so you can gauge the real estate market. Home values are estimates of how much someone is willing to pay for a home in a given area. Read more

If a county won’t perform a reassessment, could a school district just go after additional property taxes on their own?
   The question in the headline is not rhetorical. Believe it or not, it has happened.
   The Cumberland Valley School District in Carlisle got tired of waiting for the county to perform a reassessment, so they went into court to sue property owners on the grounds that their properties are assessed too low. This is one of the fastest growing areas in Pennsylvania. Read more