May/June F+E Now Available


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Volume 17, Issue 2

What's New!

Annual Conference registration to open Friday, May 21

Registration for the 2021 IAAO Annual Conference, Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 in Chicago, will open next week and hotel reservations are now available. Online registration for the in-person and virtual component will open at 8 a.m. Central, Friday, May 21. Registration forms also will be available to download. The virtual conference component will include access to a select number of education sessions, networking opportunities, exhibitors/sponsors, and more!

July 1 is deadline to submit materials to run for Board 

Members interested in running for the IAAO Board of Directors should submit candidate materials by July 1. Check out the Elections page for more information. Regular members in good standing will be able to vote electronically from Nov. 1-15, for the Regular Board Member, Associate Board member, and Officer positions.  

May 20 is deadline to register for the 2021 Emerging Leaders’ Summit

Thursday, May 20 is the deadline to register for the 2021 Emerging Leaders’ Summit. This year’s event, “GROW into Coaching,” is a multi-part skill-building certificate program. Participants will engage in a content-rich program including three webinars (June 23, July 14, and Aug. 11) lasting up to 90 minutes that are focused on leading through coaching with a growth mindset. The program, sponsored by Tyler Technologies and Data Cloud Solutions, will culminate in an interactive event, “Embracing Change,” in Chicago during the IAAO Annual Conference. Presenting in Chicago will be award-winning coach, author, educator, and speaker, Judy Favor, Ph.D. The Chicago session will be livestreamed and available on video for participants unable to attend the conference and scholarships are available for participants.

IAAO Statement on Fair and Equitable Assessments

Recent news reports have highlighted potential disparities, or regressivity, in low-income properties being overvalued during the assessment process. IAAO and its members are committed to providing fair and equitable property valuation assessments. 

IAAO believes regressivity in assessment is a serious issue. Valuation disparity is an assessment, legislative, political, and educational issue. Property tax caps, credits and freezes may contribute to disparities in valuations. Therefore, all parties must work together to identify any issues that currently exist and to prevent disparities from occurring in the future.

IAAO promotes the following as cornerstones of providing fair and equitable property assessments:

• Appraising properties on a regular basis to determine Fair Market Value
• Following IAAO technical standards on assessment and office operations
• Allocating adequate resources to jurisdictions to carry out the assessing function in accordance with best practices
• Providing assessors and assessing staff with training and ongoing professional development

IAAO continues to develop additional tools to assist assessors, jurisdictions, and the public on fair and equitable assessment matters.

To better understand the assessment and appeals process, IAAO offers property owners a brochure, “Understanding your Assessment,” which can be accessed at www.iaao.org/UnderstandingAssessment.

U40 Leadership Lab Grant Applications now accepted

Applications are now being accepted for the U40 Leadership Lab Innovation Grants to send to the Annual Conference under-40 members who have implemented a creative idea and have had a tangible and positive impact on the processes or procedures in their jurisdiction.  The grant provides financial aid to those who would not typically be able to attend the conference and the winners will then present their improvement at the conference in Chicago. Applicants not selected, or who are selected but not asked to present, agree based on their application, that their improvement may still be shared. A Grant Application form is available to download. The submission deadline for applications to be received by IAAO by post or electronic mail (scholarships@iaao.org) is July 1.  

Meetings & Programs

Third WIN'ing Conversations is Tuesday, May 18

The third "Women's Initiative Network (WIN): WIN'ing Conversations," is set for Tuesday, May 18 at Noon Central. For May the IAAO Women's Initiative Task Force will present on "WIN’ing Conversations: Sorry, Not Sorry: Moral Reflection and Self-Examination," presented by Opal B. Hudson. Go to https://www.iaao.org/wincall to join call.

IAAO offering two Instructor Evaluation Workshops in 2021

IAAO will offer two Instructor Evaluation Workshop in 2021 for members interested in becoming an instructor. IEW is an intensive 3-day event that allows you to showcase your training skills and abilities related to the delivery of IAAO materials in a classroom setting. The in-person IEW will run Aug. 27 through midday Aug. 29, prior to the of the 2021 IAAO Annual Conference in Chicago and IAAO is now accepting applications. Those who pass the in-person event will be junior instructors and certified to teach in the live classroom. The second IEW is a virtual experience and will be offered in the fall via the Zoom platform. Those who pass the virtual event will be junior instructors and certified to teach in the virtual classroom.

Discover Excel’s Most Useful Assessing Tips and Tricks in Webinar on June 29

Need to learn more about Excel and all the tips and tricks it offers? Vision Government Solutions is sponsoring a free webinar on June 29, 2021 at 1:30 pm EST to “Discover Excel’s Most Useful Assessing Tips and Tricks. David Cornell of Cornell Consultants, and a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) will review Excel’s new charts and graphs; show how to apply logic based conditional formatting; teach participants how to automate data preparation and cleaning; use Power Query, Pivot Tables and Power Pivot Tables; and how to create custom statistical measures in Excel (coefficient of dispersion, for example). Sign up online at https://www.iaao.org/VisionJune29Web.

Volunteers needed for Annual Conference

IAAO is looking for volunteers to work at the IAAO Annual Conference in Chicago, Aug. 29 - Sept. 1. By agreeing to volunteer eight hours, attendees can qualify for a reduced conference registration rate of $395. Once you are confirmed, each volunteer will receive a volunteer coupon code to use when registering. Most of the volunteer positions at the Annual Conference are associated with the registration desk, badge scanning at entrances to sessions, and assisting with coordination of offsite events. To volunteer, fill out the online form at https://illinoisiaao.org/volunteer-form/ or contact the Local Host Volunteer chairs, Chesney Leafblad at cleafblad@warrentownshipassessor.com, or Tim Jorczak at tjorczak@assessor-blm.com.