Issue link: https://resources.esri.ca/i/1163655
In 2013, the Maricopa County Assessor's Offi ce embarked on a pilot project designed to augment their traditional, boots-on-the-ground canvassing operation with geographic information system (GIS)- based desktop review technology. Their goal was to develop the technical capabilities, professional expertise and internal processes needed to effi ciently recanvass the entire county, compile accurate property data and adjust taxable values accordingly. Assessment Analyst was chosen to realize this vision. Since completing the pilot project, the team has successfully rolled out a new phase of the desktop review program each year. By the end of 2017, the appraisers are expected to have processed nearly 300,000 properties, generating millions of dollars in new tax revenue for the County. Assessment Analyst ® helps improve accuracy of residential property data, adding $1 billion in new taxable value for the County Maricopa County in Arizona is home to about 4 million people, making it the fourth most populous county in the United States. Although most of its 1.2 million residential properties are concentrated in and around Phoenix—the fi fth largest U.S. city—Maricopa County actually encompasses an area bigger than the state of New Jersey. The County's large size and population make it diffi cult for the Tax Assessor's Offi ce to recanvass properties on a regular basis and maintain accurate data for their valuation models. Arizona's extreme desert climate also inhibits canvassing efforts. From June to September, daily high temperatures average more than 100° F (38° C), with the mercury often rising to dangerous levels above 110° F (43° C), signifi cantly slowing the rate at which appraisers can conduct on-site home inspections. As of 2013, in part due to these challenges, many of the County's older neighbourhoods had not been canvassed in decades, depriving the government of tax revenue from non-permitted improvements to these properties, such as the addition of pools, garages and patios. Any canvassing that had been done tended to suffer from a lack of consistency because the Assessor's Offi ce had no clearly defi ned process in place. What Maricopa County needed was a cost-effective means of collecting accurate, up-to-date property information that could be used to generate a more uniform, equitable tax roll. 1 Esri Canada | Maricopa County Generates a More Equitable Tax Roll with Assessment Analyst Challenge