PRESS RELEASES
Feb 25, 2010	REMINDER - 2010 Renditions due March 15th
Jan 04, 2010	2010 Personal Property Assessment Forms To Be Mailed
Aug 14, 2009	Press Release - CRP Information Requested
Jul 06, 2009	Re-inspection for 2010
Apr 27, 2009	2009 Personal Property Valuations Mailed
Feb 27, 2009	PRESS RELEASE: Real Estate Valuations Mailed
Feb 23, 2009	REMINDER NOTICE: Personal Property Assessment Forms Due March 15th
Feb 15, 2009	2009 Market Study Publication
Jan 05, 2009	Appraiser Office Employee Receives RMA Designation
Jan 01, 2009	Personal Property $750 Exemption Law Effective Jan 01, 2009
Dec 31, 2008	2009 Personal Property Assessment Forms in the Mail - Due March 15th
Jun 02, 2008	Appraiser's Office Conducting Re-inspections
Apr 15, 2008	2008 Personal Property Valuation Notices Mailed
Feb 22, 2008	Real Estate Values to Arrive Soon
Feb 19, 2008	Personal Property Assessment Forms Due March 15th
Feb 14, 2008	2008 Market Study Publication Legal Notice
Dec 14, 2007	Personal Property Assessment Forms to Be Mailed On 12/31/07
Jun 29, 2007	Watercraft Proration Law Revised
May 22, 2007	Appraisers Office Conducting Residential & Commercial Reinspections
May 01, 2007	2007 Personal Property Valuation Notices Mailed
Feb 16, 2007	2007 Market Study Publication Legal Notice
Dec 18, 2006	Personal Property Forms Mailed - Due March 15th
May 02, 2006	Appraiser's Office Conducting Reinspections
April 20, 2006	2006 Personal Property Valuation Notices Mailed
Feb 28, 2006	Legal Publication 2006
Feb 28, 2006	RealEstate Valuation Notices Mailed
Jan 05, 2006	Personal Property Assessment Forms Mailed
Feb 01, 2005	Press Release
Jan 06, 2005	Press Release
Apr 01, 2004	Commissioner Update
Sep 19, 2003	Press Release
May 20, 2003	Commissioner Update
Sep 06, 2002	Commissioner Update
Sep 05, 2002	Substantial Compliance
Apr 22, 2002	Commissioner Update
Dec 24, 2001	Personal Propery Forms
Sep 05, 2001	Substantial Compliance
Aug 15, 2001	Commissioner Update
Apr 23, 2001	Commissioner Update
Feb 27, 2001	Appraisal in Agricultural Land Values
Feb 13, 2001	Market Study Analysis
Jan 22, 2001	Commissioner Update

Press Release For Immediate Release September 19, 2003:

    The Jefferson County Appraiser’s Office was presented the Public Information Program Award at the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) annual meeting held in Nashville, TN. This award is conferred upon an assessment jurisdiction that has developed and implemented an effective system for the dissemination to taxpayers of information regarding the assessment process. The office was recognized for the annual real property reassessment report, the real property web page information and the upcoming online personal property filing. In 1996 and 1999, the office was also recognized by the IAAO for the Distinguished Assessment Jurisdiction Award.

    County Appraiser, Rick Stuart, received the Donehoo Essay Award that is presented to the author of the best article or essay on assessment, property tax administration, or policy. The article was titled, “Case Study: Manufactured Home Community: Tapping into a Future Market”, and can be found on the appraiser’s web page at www.jfcountyks.com/appraiser. Stuart also received a Presidential Award for loyalty, commitment and dedication to IAAO. Stuart holds the IAAO’s highest professional designation of CAE (Certified Assessment Evaluator).

    Stuart served as President and Deputy Appraiser Teresa Hattemer served as Treasurer of the Kansas City Chapter of IAAO. The Chapter also won awards for IAAO Chapter of the Year and the Zangerle for outstanding newsletter.

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COMMISSIONER UPDATE
MEMO
May 20, 2003

TO: COMMISSIONERS
FROM: RICK STUART, CAE
SUBJECT: UPDATE

    The 2003 real estate values were certified to the County Clerk on May 19. I have attached a spreadsheet that shows several years of values and the dollar and percentage changed between years. This spreadsheet can also be found on our web page under General Information and then Certification. The increases consist of value changes plus new construction. This year, as stated previously, we had the fewest number of appeals.

    Fieldwork has started in preparation for the 2004 values. We are well ahead of schedule. Educational courses are being attended at a higher rate than in most years. There are several staff members who have expressed a desire to obtain professional designations. This is something I encourage and leads to a better-educated and more professional staff.

    Personal property only had five (5) appeals, again the lowest number ever. That section is scheduled to certify to the County Clerk on June 6. I will be coming to you soon with the software and maintenance contract for the personal property online filing system. The funds for this purchase are available in our equipment reserves account.

    We have had 13 appraisal companies sign-up for our registered users side of our web page. This is more than I had hoped for. The fee is $250 per year and before we had this service, there were only 11 companies that had spent over $250 per year with us. We still continue to receive compliments on this about the functionality of our web page both from the registered users and the general public.
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COMMISSIONER UPDATE
September 9,2002

FROM: RICK STUART
    The Property Valuation Division (PVD) has again found the Jefferson County Appraiser’s Office to be in statistical and procedural compliance. We again received a perfect score of 100. Only once since 1994 has our score be anything except 100. A copy of the press release concerning this is attached.

    PVD also provided our 2002 Mid-Year Real Estate Appraisal/Sales Ratio Study. The front page of that report is also attached. The key numbers are the Median Ratio and the COD. Normally the Residential Median is around 92-94 for the past years. You can see that this year it is at the minimal allowed number of 90. This states that the typical 2002 appraised value for homes that have sold in Jefferson County is 10% below market value. This supports the sales data we are seeing for the year. Large residential increases will be seen for 2003.

    The Commercial/Industrial Median Ratio is not a reliable number at this point as there are only three valid sales. Historically, PVD has had to use prior year sales also and our commercial ratios have been good. We are seeing larger increases in some commercials than what has occurred in the past.

    This month we will start on the listing of new construction and begin the initial valuation steps for next year.
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For Immediate Release
September 5, 2002

The Jefferson County Appraiser's Office has been notified by Property Valuation Division (PVD) that they are in substantial compliance. Being in compliance indicates the County has met state statutory requirements to uniformly appraise real and personal property. Each year PVD reviews the County's values, documentation and procedures in determining compliance.

Jefferson County has been in substantial compliance each year since a complete appraisal was implemented and new values established as of January 1, 1994. The County has received a score of 100% in all but one year.
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Commissioner Update
April 22, 2002

Informal real property hearings conclude this week. Considering the large degree of changes in some neighborhoods, the appeals were normal. The actual numbers for the last several years are shown below. Neighborhoods with the largest percentage of their properties appealing were: Meriden – 6%, Valley Falls – 5%, Lake Dabinawa – 5%. All other neighborhoods were from 0% - 3%.

Year	# of Appeals
1995	1,090
1996	614
1997	410
1998	469
1999	469
2000	193
2001	218
2002	227

Due to the relative low number of appeals, field work has already started. We are required by law to reinspect 1/6 (17%) of all properties annually. Normally we will reinspect 20% after sale properties are included.

An appraiser position remains open and will be filled with a temporary data collector. This person will be used to help the appraisers with the field reinspections and the position will probably last from three to four months. The appraiser’s felt they could handle the technical and valuation issues if someone could help measure.

Personal property valuation notices will be mailed prior to May 1 in compliance with state statute. Property owners have 15 days in which they can appeal their value. Very few appeals occur each year with the majority of those on boats.

Legislation has become a concern right at the end of the session. It was believed that no property value issues would surface this year because of the budget crisis. At the end of the regular session a value cap or limitation bill (HB2396) was passed through the House. A similar bill was passed through the Senate last year. This bill would artificially place a limit on the amount of increase a property could receive annually. Although this may sound good, the reality is that those properties that increase less than the allowed increase would see a tax shift to them from those that increase greater than the allowance. This bill further complicated the valuation process by making the increase or decrease the average percentage for the next proceeding five taxable years. Hopefully, this bill will not become law because it will become a nightmare for the property owner and county government.
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PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release
December 24, 2001

Personal Property assessment forms will soon be mailed by the Jefferson County Appraiser’s Office.To avoid penalty the completed forms must be returned to the Appraiser’s Office by March 15^th.

Persons owning personal property January 1, other than cars and 12,000 pound trucks are responsible to report this property. Property to be declared includes non-highway vehicles, boats, motors and boat trailers, travel trailers not self contained, flatbed or utility trailers, ATV, golf carts, trucks tagged over 12,000 pounds, manufactured homes and commercial equipment.

Anyone having a question is urged to bring the assessment form to the Appraiser’s Office in the basement of the courthouse, or call 785-863-2080 for assistance. New business owners are encouraged to contact the Appraiser’s Office for on-site assistance to ensure a proper listing. Top of Page

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
September 5, 2001

The Jefferson County Appraiser's Office has been notified by Property Valuation Division (PVD) that they are in substantial compliance. Being in compliance indicates the County has met state statutory requirements to uniformly appraise real and personal property.Each year PVD reviews the County's values, documentation and procedures in determining compliance.
Jefferson County has been in substantial compliance each year since a complete appraisal was implemented and new values established as of January 1, 1994. The County has received a score of 100% in all but one year.
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COMMISSIONER UPDATE

August 15, 2001

Field work continues on our annual reinspection of 17% of the parcels in the county. Mixed in with this are reviews of property sales. We are approximately 50% complete on the annual reinspection of agricultural land. All appraisal phases are timely in comparison to our maintenance plan.

Terry Burris has been hired on a temporary basis to help with the 17% reinspection. With her experience as an abstractor, we are also using her to assist in the mapping section. This position is the one vacated when Shirley Nesbitt retired. As mentioned to you previously, I will use temporary help until probably March 2002 and then start looking for another appraiser.

As of this date, the market seems to be somewhat mixed. Construction costs have risen by over 5% for residential properties and around 3% for commercial. Commercial sales are indicating increases from 0% up to 4.5% contingent upon location.

Vacant land sales either are steady or increasing greatly. The largest share of neighborhoods (NBHD) will remain the same or increase slightly. Those showing very large increases are NBHD 061-Perry, NBHD 071-Valley Falls, NBHD 073-East Central and Northeast Part of County, and NBHD 113-Southeast Part of County. Available land is limited, demand is high and sale prices increase because of the competition for the land.

We have not started any detailed analysis on improved residential sales. The ratio study just completed by PVD indicated we were typically at 93% of value. Our latest study using only 2001 sales shows us at 96%. The 96% is a good number but within that are NBHD’s that are as low as 88%. More solid data will be available when we start our valuation process in October. The general feel is that values are increasing slightly in some NBHD’s and a substantial amount in others. It gives the appearance of any other year.

Attached is a brochure that we will send to the lending institutions in Jefferson County, Lawrence and Topeka once our web page is on-line with the ability to search for a property by address or parcel number. I will generate a press release for the newspapers prior to mailing any brochures.
I have attached an article about Shawnee County and what they are trying to do. They have decided to have the owner’s name on the web page with the ability to search by name.

Personal Property appraisal has been completed from the listings turned in by the Boat Storage facilities, Marinas, Fish and Game and Mobile Home Parks.

Vehicle registrations are completed with the exception for the daily activity from the Treasurer’s Office, which is picked up at least weekly and processed by Personal Property.

Commercial Audits are almost completed with only a few that have not presented the paper work or information requested.

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PRESS RELEASE
Commissioner Update
April 23, 2001

Although the values for properties generally saw fairly large to very large increases, the number of Informal Appeals were down. In 2000, we had 245 appeals, which was the fewest number of appeals for any year. In 2001, we only had 214 appeals. As of this date, only one (1) hearing is left to conduct and almost all hearing decisions have been made.
As a result of this year and previous year’s hearings, there has been several adverse influence studies conducted with the assistance of GIS. An adverse influence is a loss of value for a property as a result of some other nearby or adjacent property. If there were indeed an adverse influence, our appraised values would be greater than the sale price of the affected properties. By comparing our appraised values at the date of sale to the actual sale price, we cannot find any adverse influences in Jefferson County. The types of adverse influences considered were: Quarries, landfills, grain elevators, railroads, ballparks and nursing homes.
Our web page received more hits this year after valuation notices were mailed. From March 1 to April 3 in 2000 we had 210 hits on the web page. For that same time period in 2001 we had 347 hits or a 65% increase. Chris Schmeissner has been doing a great job of putting our data onto the web page. The graphs included with this report are from the Appraisal Trends section of our web page. Also attached are two (2) sheets showing the percent of value increase per property class per year, with and without new construction.
Before long our web page will have an address or parcel number query section that will allow you to see property values plus other key information such as property description, section, township and range. Owner’s name will not be part of the data made available. We have received several very positive comments about our web page. If you have not seen it, visit us at jfcountyks.com/appraiser. If you do not have Internet access, see me and I will show you in my office. Chris and I both continue to be excited about the information currently on the Appraiser’s web page and the future additions planned.
With the conclusion of hearings, we will be field checking sales and starting to conduct our statutorily required annual reinspections. We are required to physically inspect one-sixth (1/6) of the county annually. For this year we will be checking Oskaloosa, Grantville, Detlor Acres, Indian Ridge and Neighborhood 43, which is located in the southwest and western parts of the county.
Personal property valuation notices will be mailed on or before May 1. There are always several questions when the notices are received, but normally less than five (5) appeals. Top of Page

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Market Study Analysis
(Published in the Oskaloosa Independent & Valley Falls Vindicator)
Results of the Market Study Analysis for
Jefferson County for the Assessment Year 2001
January 1, 2001
PURSANT to K.S.A. 1995 Supp. 79-1460a.
  A study of the improved and vacant real property market indicates the following trends for Jefferson County.
 Residential                    +10% - 12%
Commercial                  + 3%
 Values on specific areas and neighborhoods may not follow the general trend because of changes in the property, correction of descriptive information or adjustment of values based on sales of similar properties. Several neighborhoods will see increases substantially greater then the typical trends.
 In accordance with the provisions in K.S.A. 79-1476, the Division of Property Valuation is required to annually furnish each county the results of its study relating to changes, if any, of the Use Value of agricultural land.  Changes can and do occur as a result of several factors including cropping practices, commodity prices and production costs.
 Because of the large amount of data and the time frame required to gather and analyze the data, it is at least two (2) years before a previous year’s data is included.Thus the 2000 incomes that were down are not included in the 2001 values.  Just as good years are not reflected in the following year use values.  The eight year average is supposed to help avoid drastic value changes from year to year.
 The study relating to Use Value of agricultural land completed by the Division of Property Valuation indicated the following value changes from the prior year.
      Dry and Irrigated Cropland:     Plus 10% - 12% per acre
      Tame Grass:     Unchanged
      Native Grass:     Unchanged to Plus 3% per acre Top of Page

Commissioner Update
January 22, 2001

Our annual public relations article will be printed in The Jefferson County Shopper around February 1. I would like to point out the highlights but encourage you to read the entire article.
The banner page will show what most people are interested in.
            1. Residential values will increase 7% - 15%.
            2. Commercial values will increase 2% - 5%.
            3. Agricultural cropland will increase as much as 10%.
Some residential markets in the county had been fairly stable the last couple of years. As I presented to you in September, almost all areas were appraised 10% below sale prices as of midyear 2000. This is the first time I have seen this since I have been here. Normally there are areas that are low, but not the entire county.
I talked with several realtors about the market and they have mixed opinions. We looked at 36 properties that are currently for sale and compared the asking price to our 2001 values. Historically homes have been selling for 93% - 97% of asking price. Our 2001 values are at 83% of asking price. With the interest rate dropping again, I do not see a softening in our market. If there is, it will have to appear in the 2001 sales.
The number of new homes being constructed is consistent with previous years but the average cost per home has increased. The total number of valid residential sales for 2000 is not known yet, but the number appears to be consistent with previous years.
The role of the appraiser is to reflect the activity of the buyers and sellers. When properties stop selling for more than we appraised them, we will stop increasing values.
Agricultural cropland is generally increasing because of the lowering of the capitalization rate. Lower lending rates plus the Director of Property Valuation Division (PVD) already using all his allowed add-on rate, will cause the capitalization rates to decrease. Even if net income remains constant or even decreases some, the use value will increase. Pasture ground should stay about the same.
Remember: Our role in agricultural value is primarily as a conduit. We review how the agricultural ground is used, then use the soil type and apply PVD's value.
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STATE OF KANSAS
DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
Bill Graves, Governor
Stephen S. Richards, Secretary

STATE OF KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE Bill Graves, Governor Stephen S. Richards, Secretary
Office of the Secretary   Kansas Department of Revenue 915 SW Harrison St. Topeka, KS 66612-1588	Office of the Secretary		(785) 296-3041 FAX (785) 296-7928 Hearing Impaired TTY (785) 296-3909 Internet Address: www.ink.org/public/kdor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2001		For more information, call: Scott Holeman Communications Director 785/291-3506
APPRAISAL CYCLE SHOWS INCREASE IN AGRICULTURAL LAND VALUES Change of Valuation Notices to be Mailed in March  The Division of Property Valuation reports that agricultural land values in Kansas will show significant increases when annual change of valuation notices are mailed next month.The average increase is estimated at 7.5 percent over 2000 values; however, in some areas dryland will increase even more.“We realize that this is not the kind of news Kansas farmers need right now, after experiencing a year of poor crop yields, low market prices and higher production costs,” said Mark Beck, Director of Property Valuation. “However, the formula for determining values is based on an eight-year average of productivity and income that is clearly outlined by Kansas law.”  The eight-year average used to determine this year’s values is based on Landlord Net Income (LNI) statistics from 1992-1999. Next year’s values will be set by LNI statistics from 1993-2000.  “There were significant net income gains made in the ’90s—and that’s one of the factors affecting this year’s increase,” said Beck.  “The new values are a direct result of lower interest rates and higher yields and prices from the last decade. We remind taxpayers that the formula used to calculate land values includes data from a time period when the farm economy was better than today—and we understand some landowners may be confused at why values are escalating now.”  In Kansas, agricultural land is assessed at “use” value, rather than at market value.  Market value is the most probable selling price of a property in an open market transaction. Use valuation is based on the land’s potential for productivity.Consequently, highly productive soils receive a higher value than moderately productive soils.  There is no correlation between use value and market value.  County appraisers in all 105 Kansas counties will mail the change of valuation notices by April 2.The Division of Property Valuation is in the process of planning regional public meetings to explain the increases in agricultural land values.

			% of Acres	Average Value	Average %	Overall
			in	Change for	Change for	Weighted %
District	County	Land Use	County	2000 to 2001	2000 to 2001	Change for County
Northeast	Atchison	Native Grass	1%	$1	2%
		Tame Grass	45%	-1	-2%
		Dry Land	54%	21	9%	4.1%
	Brown	Native Grass	16%	2	3%
		Tame Grass	9%	1	1%
		Dry Land	76%	34	12%	9.8%
	Doniphan	Native Grass	0%	0	0%
		Tame Grass	31%	0	0%
		Dry Land	68%	48	14%	9.2%
	Jackson	Native Grass	44%	1	2%
		Tame Grass	25%	0	0%
		Dry Land	31%	22	11%	4.2%
	Jefferson	Native Grass	27%	1	2%
		Tame Grass	33%	-1	-1%
		Dry Land	40%	23	10%	3.8%
	Leavenworth	Native Grass	30%	1	2%
		Tame Grass	37%	0	0%
		Dry Land	33%	20	8%	3.1%
	Marshall	Native Grass	34%	1	2%
		Tame Grass	7%	-1	-1%
		Dry Land	60%	21	10%	6.7%
	Nemaha	Native Grass	24%	2	3%
		Tame Grass	20%	1	1%
		Dry Land	57%	20	9%	6.1%
	Pottawatomie	Native Grass	69%	1	2%
		Tame Grass	2%	0	0%
		Dry Land	26%	24	9%	3.4%
	Riley	Native Grass	24%	1	2%
		Dry Land	72%	21	10%
		Irrigated Land	4%	39	9%	7.9%
	Wyandotte	Native Grass	46%	-1	-2%
		Tame Grass	18%	-2	-3%
		Dry Land	37%	13	5%	0.4%

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