(35) Assessor

The Assessor’s Office has several divisions which include Administration, Appraisal, Auditing, Mapping and the Front Office. The Administration oversees the entire function and operation of the office. Appraisal & Auditing work together in the overall property appraisal process. The Mapping division is the starting point in drawing and creating new parcels from recorded subdivisions and processing workflow distribution to the appraisal staff. The Front Office staff processes documents, receives phone inquiries, serves as the representative and focal point for the Assessor’s Office in providing outstanding customer service to the public.

• Assessment Roll Increase – We experienced an additional $651 million in assessed value for the 2020 assessment roll which represents an 7.0% increase from the prior year. Our total assessed value reached a new milestone exceeding $9.9 billion which will generate approximately $99 million in property taxes for local government agencies and schools.
• Prop 8 Assessments – Due to the changing real estate market, the Assessor’s Office focused efforts on properties that had received a temporary value reduction under Proposition 8 and reviewed over 1,000 properties to determine the value of those properties as of January 1, 2020. As a result of this mandatory review, 100 properties were removed from Proposition 8 status and fully restored to the Proposition 13 assessed values. The majority of the remaining 900 properties also experienced some upward value adjustment (partial restoration).
• Assessment Appeals – The Assessor’s Office staff has worked diligently to reduce the filing of assessment appeals through more taxpayer contact and detailed explanation of our assessed valuations. In 2020, there were a total of 20 assessment appeal applications out of approximately 24,600 (secured & unsecured) assessments which represents .08% (1/13 of 1%).
• SSCAP Grant – The Assessor’s Office qualified for the State Supplementation for County Assessor’s Program in 2018. This state grant is a total of $750,000 for a three year period which expires on June 30, 2021. The funds have been used to hire new personnel, purchase office equipment, computers, and upgrade software. Discussions are in progress with the Department of Finance and the Governor’s Office to possibly extend the grant for an additional five year period.

• Expand Office Space – The Assessor’s Office is in need of more office space for current and future needs. With increased staffing levels, the office space at the Assessor’s Office is very limited to accommodate new personnel.
• Rapid Development Growth – The office is concerned with the rapid growth in residential developments and keeping up with new construction assessments. We are working on alleviating the backlog of appraisal work. Our mapping department is moving forward with staying current on drawing and creating parcels from new subdivisions which will speed up the workflow distribution process allowing our appraisal staff to value those properties in a timely manner.
• Scanning and Cataloging of All Records – One of our objectives is scanning and cataloging of all our paper records. We have purchased scanners and have begun the process of digitizing our property records providing a much more effective way to store, retain, and locate our information which will improve office and appraisal efficiency.

• Continue to Expand Office – If the SSCAP Grant is extended, the goal would be to increase office space and grow the office personnel for future assessment needs.
• Succession Planning – Train existing staff to take on some of the management roles in the Assessor’s Office.
• Convert the Assessor’s AutoCAD parcel maps to a GIS format for the Assessor’s parcel maps which will provide all of our parcel map pages in a digitized environment.