Assessing Info 2018 Nov 15

Report: 'Dark Story Theory' is the fourth horseman
of the retail apocalypse >

Thanks to a head-spinning legal argument that cities are struggling to fight, big-box retailers are slashing their property taxes by weaponizing vacant storefronts. In Wisconsin, at least 230 cases have been filed across 34 counties since 2015, many of them repeat appeals for the same properties, by the top three attorneys representing retailers. Read more

Cities, states offered Amazon billions for HQ2. Did it matter? >

Virginia's offer of $573 million in direct public incentives and New York's package, in excess of $1.5 billion, weren't the richest of the many deals pitched to Amazon for the prospect of 25,000 new, high-paid tech jobs in each place. The enormous enticements offered dramatically illustrate how Amazon played the game of "smokestack chasing" like no other corporation in history. Read more

County officials nationwide head to Washington after election wins >

County officials from across the country will swap the county courthouse for an office on Capitol Hill after taking home wins in the Nov. 6 election. They will be sworn in as new members of the 116th Congress Jan. 3, 2019. Read more

IAAO NEWS

+ GIS/CAMA registration opens soon >

Registration will open soon for the for the 2019 GIS/CAMA Technologies Conference, set for Feb. 25-28 in Portland, Oregon. The conference will have four program tracks this year: GIS Technologies, Modeling and Valuation, Planning, Administration & Leadership, and Technology Showcase. Among the areas for the conference include programs on how to get started with modeling, planning and Implementing a CAMA system, high-definition imagery for any size jurisdiction, special issues in valuation, and the Geospatial Data Act. Read more

+ 2019 Membership dues now payable >

IAAO 2019 membership dues are now payable online via the IAAO website, or members who are not on an agency bill may return the invoice emailed to them. To pay online, go to the IAAO website, log in, click on My Account and then select Renew My IAAO Membership. With just a couple of steps you can quickly complete the process. To pay by mail, please return the invoice with payment in U.S. dollars and return to the IAAO Lockbox address found on the invoice. Read more

+ Annual Legal Seminar is Dec. 13-14 in Chicago >

Online registration is still open for the 39th Annual IAAO Legal Seminar Dec. 13-14, 2018, in Chicago at the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile. This two-day seminar will cover developments in real property taxation, wind farm improvements and asset appraisal, challenges in the valuation of special purpose properties, litigation strategies for big box properties, and ethical conundrums for attorneys. Attendees may register online or submit a paper form with payment. Fees are $500 for IAAO members and $625 for nonmembers until Nov. 1. After that date, fees increase to $550 for members and $700 for nonmembers. Read more

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

+ University Park doesn't have to pay property taxes on WVU dorm lease >

The state Supreme Court ruled last week that the company that built a group of student dormitories on West Virginia University’s campus and now leases those dorms from WVU doesn’t have to pay property taxes for that lease. The high court upheld University Park at Evansdale LLC’s argument that the assessed value of its leasehold should be zero, not the roughly $9 million that Monongalia County Assessor Mark Musick argued it was worth in 2015. Read more

+ Montrealers can now pay their property taxes in up to 11 installments >

Residents had been asking the city to allow the amount be paid in more than two payments for years. As of 2019, they'll be allowed to pay in six to 11 instalments, which is already the case in Quebec City. Read more

+ Napa County assessor's removal-from-office court case likely to be dismissed >

Assessor John Tuteur walked out of Napa County, California, Superior Court with the cloud of possible removal from office, though not officially gone, rapidly dispelling. The judge said he’s inclined to dismiss the accusations of “willful or corrupt misconduct” by a grand jury against Tuteur. Read more

+ Realtors say selling a house near a pot dispensary
is not a problem >

Nearly 20 percent of real estate agents reported higher values for commercial properties located near marijuana dispensaries, and 10 percent noted higher residential values, the National Association of Realtors reported. About 75 percent of agents revealed no difficulty selling homes in those areas. Read more