Assessment Practices Review Panel - St. Louis County

3.6 Use of technology & innovation of practices
3.6.1 Description of findings
Technology changes will impact work processes and organization
- A gap in technology use and access exists between county assessor staff and some
local assessors. This has an impact on uniformity of assessment practices and the
ability by local assessors to effectively work on countywide systems.
- There is discussion on which CAMA system is appropriate to enter assessment
information.
- Technology changes such as the integration of permitting systems with GIS and
satellite imagery analysis may reduce the number of physical inspections required,
change work processes and increase staff productivity. These implications will need to
be taken into account in strategic planning for the county assessment process.
- Property owners will in the near future be able to review property information on the
County website.
3.6.2 Analysis
There is a gap between the county, which is progressive in maintaining up to date
computer systems, and some local assessors, who have more limited resources and
smaller economies of scale to maintain the same technology standard. These technology
challenges include access to bandwidth, system compatibility and computer knowledge of
assessors. Within the current mixed system this warrants a discussion identifying
technology options and appropriateness of technology for countywide application.
The current Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) system is used to record
assessment data. It is not considered user-friendly by the local assessors. Concerns
include difficulty accessing the system, difficulty remembering all the coding, etc., if you
do not use the system every day, and not being able to run other applications while in the
CAMA system through its VPN connection.
The St. Louis County Geographic Information System (GIS) offers technology tools for
the assessment process that were not available in the past. GIS is a system designed to
capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and map large quantities of geospatial data
and non-geospatial data, for example, linking property information with permit data and
monitoring changes using satellite imagery. Full utilization of GIS capabilities will be an
important tool in the property assessment process and will change work processes. The
documentation found in Appendix VII (Existing and Emerging Technology for the
Assessment Process) provides examples of how technology can be utilized.
The anticipated technology changes and implications for optimal organizational structure
and staffing need to be taken into account in long term planning. Also important in
implementing technology changes is the regulatory environment under which the
St. Louis County Assessment Practices Review Panel Draft Report February 2012 Page 27