Greenfield Advisors’ Dr. Andy Krause recently presented to colleagues about a new software package that would aid in more efficiently calculating localized house price indexes. Dr. Krause’s presentation at a Geographic Information System (GIS) and Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) systems was part of a session focused on improving transparency in property taxation modeling. The conference, a joint event by the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) and the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO), focused on the use of advanced spatial technology to improve decision making and property taxation at the local government level.

Dr. Krause’s co-presenter, Danielle Simpson of the Boulder County Assessor’s Office in Boulder, Colorado, talked about the public’s response to her county’s radical new policy of nearly complete transparency in the property tax assessment process.

Two critical themes emerged during the two-day conference. First, the public is continually expecting more from government bodies in terms of accessibility, efficiency, and transparency. The tax assessment field must continue to evolve to meet these changing demands. Second, nearly 50% of senior level tax assessment officials are set to retire before 2025, leaving a large demand for qualified professionals. Additional education and outreach programs are needed to increase the visibility of assessment as a career, and government officials will look more and more to private sector consultants to aid their staff in creating fair and equitable tax rolls.

Attendees at the GIS-CAMA conference ranged from county tax assessors and recorders to specialized valuation consultants, academic researchers, and valuation modelers from real estate technology firms like Zillow and HouseCanary.  Nearly 20 vendors, including Tyler Technologies, Spatialest, DevNet, and OnX, welcomed conference attendees to their product booths in the exhibition hall.