As Columbia University puts the last touches on its brand-new campus in Harlem, it has reached a milestone: The university is now the largest private landowner in New York City.
In a city where land is more valuable than almost anywhere in the nation, the school now owns more than 320 properties, with a combined value of nearly $4 billion. The growth has helped it stay competitive within the Ivy League and meet its broader ambitions to become a global institution.
   By many measures, those ambitions have also helped lift the city around it, attracting higher numbers of students, producing new jobs, and boosting New York’s reputation as an international center of knowledge.
   But as Columbia has expanded its footprint, it has also become more of a drain on the city budget because of a state law more than 200 years old that allows universities, museums and other nonprofits to pay almost no property taxes. Read more

October webinar: How to protect your organizations’ data
   The cyber incident response team for the El Paso Central Appraisal District in Texas will present a guide addressing standards and insights on how to obtain the security needed to protect your organization's data during the October IAAO webinar.
   The webinar, set for noon Central on Wednesday, Oct. 25, will be presented by Rodolfo Arvizo and David Martinez and is eligible for 1.5 CEU hours. The cost is $55 for IAAO members and $77 for nonmembers. Register here.
 
Fighting cybercrime is the topic of November business partner webinar
   Fighting Back Against Cybercrime will be the subject of a webinar by IAAO business partner Tyler Technologies on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at noon Central.  The webinar will review how sophisticated cyberattacks targeted at state, local, and federal government organizations and school districts place all concerned parties on high alert.
   In this webinar, hear from cybersecurity expert Tim Walsh, who will discuss how agencies can approach the way they think about cybersecurity – from innovative and strategic resource usage to effective application, detection, and response mechanisms to ensure the security of data and high valued assets. Register here.

Telecommunications companies sue Napa County for more than $1.1 million in property tax refunds
   Five telecommunication companies are suing Napa County over property taxes they say were collected in violation of the California Constitution. The companies — Pacific Bell, AT&T, Sprint Spectrum, T-Mobile, and CenturyLink — seek combined tax refunds of more than $1.1 million. Read more

 

U.S. counties with the highest housing costs
   A new report by real estate data company Attom reveals that housing prices in 99% of U.S. counties are more unaffordable than ever for the average American earner. Despite high mortgage rates imposed by the Federal Reserve, U.S. housing market prices have remained high, further straining buyer affordability. Read more

 

Mecklenburg County doing four-year property revaluations cycles from now on
   Property revaluations will occur in Mecklenburg County every four years moving forward, following a unanimous vote this week.
   The 2023 revaluation came on a four-year cycle but resulted from a one-off resolution approved in October 2019. It was previously on an eight-year cycle, which is the state minimum. The Board of County Commissioners would have to vote to change the cycle in the future. Read more
 

Wyoming homeowners speak in favor of a new property tax system, lawmakers move to draft new bill
   Members of the Joint Revenue Committee moved to draft legislation that would amend the state constitution and implement an acquisition value property tax system in Wyoming.
   An acquisition value property tax system assesses a property at its market value from the time the property was purchased, with limited annual tax increases until the property is resold, according to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Acquisition value is defined under HB 100 as “the purchase price paid for the acquisition of property.”
   Homeowners and lawmakers, however, expressed differences in opinion regarding favor of the new property tax system.
   Representatives from TEAM Consulting LLC, a company hired to conduct a study under the direction of HB 100, presented the legal processes Wyoming would need to undertake in order to implement an acquisition value property tax system. Read more