Assessing Info 2018 May 17

Two shots didn’t faze lawmakers in
Jack Daniel’s whiskey barrel case >

Jack Daniel’s pushed two major pieces of legislation in the last few years, one in which it persuaded the Tennessee General Assembly to codify its process for making Tennessee whiskey and another one this year enabling it to avoid paying a $2.78 million assessment on 2 million white oak barrels it uses to age its sipping whiskey. Read More

Report: Vacant houses plague struggling cities >

Despite a drop in numbers across much of the United States since the recession, vacant and abandoned properties continue to dog struggling postindustrial cities, tearing apart neighborhoods with growing intensity, according to a report published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Read More

Group fights for Florida property tax cap >

The proposed constitutional amendment by the Legislature would cap property tax hikes at 10 percent on properties that don’t have a homestead exemption, such as vacation homes, apartment complexes and undeveloped lots. Read More

IAAO NEWS

+ Prep & Trial Seminar Room Block Closes Tomorrow >

The room block for the 2018 IAAO Preparation and Trial of the Property Tax Appeal Seminar closes on Friday, May 18 and to reserve a room, contact Rachel Mense at IAAO at 816-701-8109. The seminar will be at the University of North Carolina - School of Government on June 7-8. The two-day training is for lawyers, assessors, and appraisal personnel who want to be better prepared for appeals. The topics will focus on trial ethics, the use of technology at trial, analyzing appraisal reports, review appraisers and rebuttal witnesses, and trial mechanics. Read More

+ IAAO, NACo Offer Webinar on County Explorer Tool >

The NACo's Counties Futures Lab, in partnership with IAAO, will present an interactive and in-depth webinar focusing on the County Explorer Tool on Wednesday, May 23. Webinar participants will learn the County Explorer basics which include navigating through the different maps; how to use the tool for comparing a county across several indicators; and become familiar with faster ways to get to the stats for their county. Read More

+ May Fair + Equitable Now Available >

The May issue of Fair + Equitable is now available, with stories on the International Research Symposium in Prague, a sneak peek at IAAO’s new book on GIS technologies, election information, standards, and explaining mass appraisal. Download issue

+ Conference Registration Open - Donate to Raffle! >

Registration for the 2018 IAAO Annual Conference in Minneapolis is open and the Friends of Associate Members is requesting items for the Raffle and Auction at the conference in Minneapolis. Donations are a great way to support the IAAO. Consider items unique to your state or make a splash and draw lots of attention to your business with something that will draw lots of interest! Read More

+ Annual Conference Grants Available for U40 members >

The IAAO U40 Leadership Lab is proud to announce the 2018 IAAO U40 Leadership Lab Innovation Grant. The grant is available to members who have made tangible contributions/innovations in their offices and are between the ages of 18 and 40. Grant applications must be completed by June 15. Read More

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

+ Property taxes make up largest share of revenue >

NAHB analysis of the Census Bureau’s quarterly tax data shows that $573 billion in taxes were paid by property owners over the four quarters ending in Q4 2017. It has now been five and a half years since four-quarter property tax revenues last declined. Read More

+ Woman finds her own house for rent on Craigslist >

Sherry Morfitt-Shumway and her wife thought their search for a rental home was over when they found a cute two-bedroom home just blocks from downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. The house listed as "cozy" and "quaint" was well within their budget. The problem? It was never for rent at all. Read More

+ Will a property tax fight close Vermont government? >

Gov. Phil Scott says he's confident that he'll be able to reach an agreement with Democratic leaders in an upcoming Special Session over the issue of education spending. But Scott says raising property tax rates will definitely not be part of any agreement. Read More

+ Florida's real estate bubble: We know it will pop >

Every bubble eventually pops. In real estate, the million dollar question is always, when? Many Florida property owners may be surprised to find out that a very important vote, taking place this coming November, has the potential to impact the answer as to when our current bubble may implode. Read More