Assessing Info Nov 7 2019

Philadelphia controller: Gun violence could cost the city millions in lost tax revenue, property value >

Reducing gun violence in Philadelphia could translate into millions of dollars more in property value and tax revenue, City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart said last week, revealing an analysis by her office showing that homicides depress home sale prices. Her office analyzed more than 220,000 residential property sales and 4,000 homicides that occurred across the city between 2006 and 2018, looking at sales made 60 days before and 60 days after a homicide. Read more

Airbnb probed by United Kingdom tax officials >

A note in newly filed accounts for Airbnb UK said it had been contacted by HMRC over “tax laws or regulations impacting the company’s business. The company is also subject to tax inquiries and proceedings concerning its operations and intra-company transactions,” it added. “Some of these matters may result in litigation.” Read more

Long before the World Series, this ragtag group of property owners was booted to make way for baseball >

Fourteen years after the family asphalt plant was booted out of an industrial neighborhood to make way for the Washington Nationals’ stadium, Joey Roubin jokes that he’s still waiting for the team to make good on the deal. “I thought we’d get season tickets,” he said with a chuckle. Instead, they got subpoenas, legal judgments, bureaucratic red tape and years of delays to reopen the stadium a few miles away. Read more

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IAAO NEWS

+ IAAO election underway, deadline to vote is Nov. 15 >

The election for the 2020 IAAO Board of Directors is underway and members in good standing can vote electronically until Nov. 15. On Nov. 1, Regular Members received an email from Intelliscan Inc. with a personalized voting link. Regular Members who did not receive this ballot should contact Intelliscan. Regular Members are voting for the 2020 President-Elect, Vice President, and an At-Large regular member in each of three regions. There is no Associate Member election in 2019. Read more

+ IAAO conducting member survey on offerings >

IAAO is requesting your assistance to complete a survey reviewing various IAAO offerings and the use of those offerings by members. Members can click the link below to access the survey and are requested to complete the survey no later than Friday, Nov. 15. The results will assist IAAO in updating and refining programs offered to members and we appreciate your assistance with the survey. Read more

+ Esri granting new members access to ArcGIS for personal use for one year >

Esri is granting access to ArcGIS for Personal Use for one year to new IAAO members who joined after Oct. 1, 2019, to help accelerate their career and interest in GIS. ArcGIS for Personal Use comes with everything one needs to map like a pro. Get access to the full range of capabilities in the ArcGIS platform to create rich, dynamic maps and apps. Take advantage of this opportunity to have ArcGIS for Personal Use at home for noncommercial use. Read more

+ IAAO sponsor of Property Tax Seminar in Ontario >

IAAO is helping sponsor the Ninth Annual RICS and IPTI Property Tax Seminar, Assessment & Taxation in Ontario: Looking forward in Ontario Property Tax to 2020 and beyond: Challenges and Realities. The event is scheduled for 7 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26, in Toronto, Canada. Programs will cover an update on the Ontario Appeal Regime in 2020 and an update on trends for assessment in 2020. Read more

+ Next session of leadership course now available >

Registration for the next National Association of Counties High Performance Leadership Academy for assessors is underway and will start on Jan. 6. Built by Gen. Colin Powell, Marshall Goldsmith and other accomplished leaders, the Leadership Academy is an online 12-week program that empowers county government professionals with fundamental leadership skills. The retail price of the 12-week program is $1,995 per enrollee. However, the first enrollee from each NACo member county receives a one-time NACo scholarship of $1,500, bringing enrollment down to $495. There is a $300 subsequent IAAO discount also available for additional enrollees and non-NACo members. Read more

+ Registration continues for Legal Seminar in Phoenix >

Registration is open for the IAAO 40th Annual Legal Seminar in Phoenix on Dec. 5-6, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix. This two-day seminar will cover recent developments in real property taxation, wind farm improvements and asset appraisal, challenges in the valuation of special purpose properties, litigation strategies for big-box properties, and ethical conundrums for lawyers. Read more

IAAO Connect Corner

+ Hot Topic: Certification & Education Software >

IAAO Connect members are currently discussing options on certification and education software. Read more

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

+ Property tax problems are 'coming to a head' in Idaho; legislators seeking answers >

A newly formed group of Idaho legislators aiming to get to the bottom of the state’s property tax problems got underway last week at the Capitol in Boise. “I really feel that the property tax issue is coming to a head,” House Revenue and Taxation Chairman Gary Collins, R-Nampa, said, based on feedback he has received from his constituents and from around the state. Read more

+ Despite property tax reform efforts in Texas, appraisals keep going up >

In Tarrant County, home to Fort Worth, the tax appraisals have increased by 75 percent from 2009-2019. One city in Tarrant County, Mansfield, saw property appraisal values increase by nearly 89 percent in that same period.
By comparison, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide housing prices are about 20 percent higher than they were in 2009. Read more

+ How a tax break to help the poor went to a billionaire NBA owner >

Dan Gilbert has spent the last decade buying up buildings in downtown Detroit, amassing nearly 100 properties and so completely dominating the area, it’s known as Gilbertville. In the last few years, Gilbert, the founder of Quicken Loans and owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, has also grown close to the Trump family. Quicken gave $750,000 to Trump’s inaugural fund. Gilbert’s cultivation of the Trump family appears to have paid off: Three swaths of downtown Detroit were selected as opportunity zones under the new Trump tax law, extending a valuable tax break to Gilbert’s real estate empire. Read more

+ States launch efforts to ferret out unnamed landlords >

This small Hudson Valley city features sweeping river and mountain views, charming rowhouses and Victorian homes that are drawing young professionals looking for a break from high housing costs downriver. But the sight of abandoned or dilapidated houses next to renovated ones is a reminder that the city’s revival still faces obstacles — including landlords who can’t be identified when it’s time to make repairs. Read more