Assessor - Recorder
0001-102300
Division Overview
Assessor
In order to complete the annual assessment roll, the Assessor must perform the following tasks each year:
- Complete all mapping duties and assignments of parcel numbers
- Maintain and update the name, mailing address, property characteristic, legal description, and revenue district of each assessee
- Maintain the integrity of the mandatory audit program to audit all business that have a value of $400,000 on a rotating basis
- Process all exemption claims , homeowners, veterans, welfare, church, religious, historical aircraft.
- Process all mining claims, boats, aircraft, possessory interest, and business property statements.
- Process all real property transfers and building permits that require reassessment
- Process a variety of claim forms for state and county mandated programs such as Williamson Act, Timber Preserve Zone (TPZ), Disaster Relief, Parent to Child Exclusion (Prop 58 & 193, Base year value Transfers (Prop 60, 90, 19), Mills Act, New Construction Exclusion
Recorder
Upon payment of proper fees and taxes, we will review, accept, record, index, preserve, and return any document, which is authorized or required by California law to be recorded. The document must contain the required information and be photographically reproducible. These functions are largely dictated by:
- Government Code
- Civil Code
- Revenue and Taxation Code
The Office is responsible for the creation, registration, and preservation of all birth, death, and marriage records from 1850 to present. We are also responsible for explaining the records contents and to make these records available to authorized agencies and public. These functions are largely dictated by:
- Family Code
- Penal Code
- Welfare and Institution Code
- Government Code
Allocated Positions by Year
Adopted Budget By Year
* Each department is part of a "Fund". Many times, a department or even a fund may show greater expense then revenues for the current fiscal year. This does not account for money that was not spent in prior years, also known as "beginning fund balance". When creating the annual budget Counties are required by law to adopt a balanced budget, meaning the total expense cannot exceed the sum of revenue plus beginning fund balances.
Recent Departmental Accomplishments
- Assessment Roll Increase – We experienced an additional $274 million in assessed value for the 2020 assessment roll which represents an 3.57% increase from the prior year. Our total assessed value reached a new plateau exceeding $7.9 billion which will generate approximately $79 million in property taxes for local government agencies and schools.
- We continue to improve upon our new property tax software system by adding modules and online services to improve customer service and streamline workflow.
- We improved our online services to provided recorder copies online via email.
- We have successfully implemented E-Recording, serving customers all across the United States.
- We accepted, reviewed, copied, and indexed over 16,000 different documents and over 1,400 vital records.
Top Departmental Concerns
- Maintaining staff. We ask our staff of 10 to do the same workload that other similar sized counties have 18-21 employees doing. (CSBE Report)
- Continuing to operate in a safe manner during the pandemic. We have modified our office procedures to mitigate possible exposure to COVID-19 for the public and staff.
- The Recorder’s Office has suffered reduction in staff due to budget constraints since fiscal year 2010-11. Since that time, three staff members have been attempting to complete all required work and maintain excellent customer service on a daily basis. All work conducted is mandated. Changes in processes, legislation, fees over a period of 9 years has become unsustainable as currently staffed. As a result, we have had to reduce our office hours to allow staff the ability to complete the day’s work.
- Continuing to streamline and improve our online services to meet our workload.
Looking Forward- Planning Goals
- Continued expansion of our online services such as online business property statements and forms.
- Continuing to look for ways to streamline our workload through the adoption of local Resolutions and Ordinances, such as disaster relief and penalty abatement.
- To provide as much information to the public as possible regarding property tax and other related issues. An informed public is the key to good customer service and to ensuring that every property owner and resident receives fair and equitable treatment.
- Recorder’s Office is a place where any member of the public either a buyer, lender, or anyone can go to determine who owns a property and whether any of the property rights have been conveyed.
- Recorder’s Office is a place where any member of the public either a buyer, lender, or anyone can go to determine who owns a property and whether any of the property rights have been conveyed.