Assessing Info DEC 4 2020

Detroit City Council rejects relief plan for overtaxed residents >

The Detroit City Council last week rejected a resolution to give residents potentially overtaxed before 2014 priority in affordable housing, home-buying discounts, and job opportunities because a majority of members said it didn't go far enough. The plan — opposed by tax justice groups and several council members who argued it fell short of providing meaningful relief — sought to offset losses from 2010 to 2013 as part of an effort to address an estimated overtaxing of $600 million for Detroiters over a six-year period through 2016. The Detroit News in January published an investigation that found the city overtaxed homeowners after it failed to accurately bring down property values in the years following the Great Recession. Read more

Marijuana stores level up with sleeker designs, larger footprints >

Marijuana dispensaries are leveling up. What used to be small, funky shops hidden in industrial parks are now going high-concept, with sleek designs and a much larger footprint, Crain’s reported. “The trend in cannabis today is you’re looking at it like traditional retail: You want a bigger box to serve more people,” said Talley Wettlaufer, senior vice president of retail for cannabis company Curaleaf. Read more

Idaho tried to lure a nuclear company ... instead, Micron gets millions in tax breaks >

Micron Technology is one of Idaho’s largest employers, but it only pays property taxes on a fraction of its taxable value. The reason? An unsuccessful attempt to lure a nuclear company during the Great Recession. The company paid $4.75 million in property taxes in 2019, only 23% of what it would owe if the semiconductor company’s property was taxed at its full value, according to records from Ada County. While Micron has been enjoying one of the largest tax breaks in the state, Idahoans are struggling with skyrocketing property values compounding with years of tax increases. Read more

IAAO NEWS

+ IAAO announces Debra McGuire as its new Executive Director >

The IAAO Board of Directors selected Debra McGuire, MBA, IOM, CAE, as the new Executive Director following interviews of finalists on Nov. 23. She will begin work at the association on Jan. 4. Currently, Ms. McGuire is the founder and CEO of Association Interim Solutions in Dallas. Her previous experience includes serving as President & Chief Executive Officer of the American Fire Sprinkler Association; CEO and Executive Vice President of the American Academy of Family Physicians-Michigan Chapter; and Director of Education and Communications for the Michigan Townships Association. She earned a Master of Business Administration from Cornerstone University and a Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University. She also completed the Institute of Organizational Management program at the University of Notre Dame and achieved the Certified Association Executive designation from the American Society of Association Executives. Read more

+ Conference CE credits available through Dec. 31 >

Annual Conference attendees can still get credit for watching recorded sessions through the end of December. If you watched sessions live, the system recorded your attendance and the information will be posted to your IAAO record and members can view the total online. If you watch a session through the Video on Demand section of the conference website, you will need to record the codes on the link below and submit them online. IAAO will update your record. Login

+ Submit your presentation ideas for the conference! >

Interested in presenting at the 2021 IAAO Annual Conference in Chicago? The Call for Presentations is now open. The submission deadline is Jan. 31, but anyone interested is encouraged to submit presentation ideas as soon as possible. Registration discounts of up to $200 may be available to presenters. Submit a presentation

+ Early registration opens for 2021 Annual Conference >

Looking to get ahead of the new year and take care of registering for the 2021 IAAO Annual Conference before the end of 2020? IAAO has opened limited registration for the 87th IAAO Annual International Conference on Assessment Administration at the request of members who would like to pay for 2021 conference registration in 2020. Attendee and guest registration are now available online or by using a paper form. The 2021 Conference is set for Aug. 29-Sept. 1 in Chicago. Hotel rooms, event tickets, and single-day registration will be available in the spring. Read more

+ Help available for membership dues >

2020 has been a challenging year for not only for IAAO members, but also for your jurisdictions budget. With this in mind, Vision Government Solutions and IAAO are pleased to offer the COVID-19 Membership Support Grant to provide greater opportunities for members to renew their annual IAAO Membership dues. The grant is available to a limited number of IAAO members whose jurisdictions are not paying membership dues because of budgetary restrictions. Download the form to apply for the grant to pay membership dues. Read more

+ Task Force seeks input on changes to Glossary >

The Authoritative Text Task Force, established in May by the Board of Directors, is working on updates to the IAAO Glossary for Property Appraisal and Assessment and is seeking input from assessment professionals related to terms. In particular, the Task Force is looking for contributions on terms that may be contradictory to state laws, or practice; additional terms that should be incorporated into the Glossary, along with any recommended definitions for that term; or general thoughts and comments you would like the Task Force to consider. Comments should be directed no later than Dec. 4 to Tammy Brown (brown@iaao.org), IAAO Staff Liaison to the Authoritative Text Task Force.

+ Tyler Technologies offering 'Virtual Appeals/Operations' webinar Jan. 14 >

As appraisal and tax offices are challenged by the pandemic, constituent demands, limited resources, and more, workflows must be adapted to meet your changing needs. Specifically, when dealing with property valuation appeals, vendors and offices alike are exhibiting great agility to ensure taxpayers’ concerns are heard and issues are resolved with minimal complications. Revealing tips and tricks for virtual collaboration, Tyler Technologies' senior appraisal project supervisors Mary Noldy and Eric Coakley offer important anecdotes and lessons learned from managing multiple virtual property appeals in 2020. The team of experienced remote specialists will deliver thoughtful insights on the future of virtual operations and also spark discussion on critical components for successful interactions moving forward. Tyler Vice President of Appraisal Services, Mark Folkerts, will introduce the webinar, with is set for 2-3 p.m. Eastern time, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. Register here

IAAO CONNECT CORNER

+ Hot Topic: Shopping center valuation during a pandemic >

IAAO Connect members are discussing material developed regarding the valuation of shopping centers during COVID-19. Read more

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

+ Residents of a Milwaukee neighborhood fear being taxed out of their longtime homes >

Lennie Mosley, president of the Halyard Park Neighborhood Association, first moved to the area with her husband in 1980. Back then, she said, few people wanted to live there. Now, the neighborhood's location within walking distance of an NBA arena and related projects has put its housing in high demand and led to a sharp rise in property taxes. Read more

+ Assessor: Tax-exempt uses for religious institutions are harder to track >

There are mechanisms the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, can rely on to track whether nonprofits in the city are doing what they need to do to justify their tax-exempt status, but religious institutions are given much broader latitude, the city assessor told the City Council this week. Read more

+ 'A nightmare for too many': Hundreds of Arizona renters wrongfully evicted during pandemic >

Landlords wrongfully acted to evict metro Phoenix renters during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic despite a federal law protecting tenants from losing their homes if they couldn't pay rent. More than 900 evictions were filed against tenants who likely should have been protected by the federal CARES Act, according to an Arizona Republic investigation. Most of those renters also were wrongfully charged hundreds of dollars in late and legal fees. Read more

+ Buyers getting aggressive about affordable housing >

The widespread layoffs and pay cuts stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic have made the need for affordable housing more critical than ever. “The vast majority of low-income households are rent-burdened,” says David Leopold, senior vice president and head of Affordable Housing at Berkadia. “Demand for units that low-income people can afford vastly outstripped the number of units available to them. So we came into this crazy COVID crisis with that state of affairs, and unfortunately, COVID hasn’t improved them.” Investors recognize this need, according to Leopold. “We’ve seen consistent investor appetite,” Leopold says. “This is from buyers of real estate, not LIHTC (Low-Income Housing Tax Credit) investor appetite.” Read more

+ Orange County, Florida, property appraiser sues his office for legal fees, accuses PAC of libel >

Orange County, Florida, Property Appraiser Rick Singh sued his office Tuesday to pay for legal fees he incurred during a criminal probe and, in a separate lawsuit, accused a political action committee of “character assassination” through mailers sent ahead of his loss in the Democratic primary. In a complaint, Singh said he hired lawyers to defend him against “possible criminal charges” related to a state investigation that recommended Singh be charged with 10 counts of official misconduct. The Tuesday complaint does not say how much Singh is seeking in legal fees from his office but it is seeking damages exceeding $30,000. Taxpayers have already footed the bill for about $500,000 spent to defend the property appraiser and his office in civil court against allegations made by former employees, according to a previous Orlando Sentinel report. Read more