2017 Fall Conference

Duluth, Minnesota

• Commissioner of Revenue’s Annual Meeting with Assessors
• MAAO Annual Meeting and Election of Officers
• Topical Educational Seminars
• Social Events

September 10^th  – September 13^th, 2017

Radisson Hotel – Duluth Harborview, 505 W Superior St., Duluth, MN 55802

Retreat to our harbor-view hotel in Duluth

Radisson Hotel Duluth-Harborview offers an inviting escape near Canal Park so you can easily explore the shops, restaurants and attractions that are scattered along the beautiful waterfront. If you’re pleased with your room’s view of Lake Superior or downtown Duluth, just wait until you see the sights from JJ Astor, the famed revolving restaurant on the 16th floor of our hotel.

Unbeatable Views at One of the Top Hotels in Duluth, MN

Perfectly located in the heart of downtown Duluth with breathtaking views of Lake Superior, the Radisson Duluth-Harborview is an urban oasis for travelers of all types. During your stay, make use of a variety of on-site amenities, including complimentary Wi-Fi, a heated indoor pool, a fitness center and the impressive revolving restaurant, JJ Astor. This hotel's central location in Duluth, MN makes it easy to attend events at the nearby Duluth Entertainment Convention Center or visit top attractions like the famous Canal Park, the Aerial Lift Bridge and the Lakewalk.

The Radisson Duluth Harborview is offering sleeping rooms at the following rates:

Run of House Single/Double $89.00 

Subject to appropriate state, local and occupancy tax

For reservations call 1.800.333.3333 and provide group name: MAAO Conference or code 1709ASOFFI

or go to www.radisson.com/duluthmn with private Access Code (PAC): ASSOFFI.

The convention rates are good one day before the conference and one day after the conference.

The cut-off date for room reservations is August 17, 2017.

 The Conference fee includes the Sunday reception, Monday night Northshore tour, Monday and Tuesday lunch, Tuesday evening banquet and breaks.  One seminar either Tuesday or Wednesday is $75.00.  Two seminars Tuesday and Wednesday are $150.00.  The deadline to register for the conference is September 1, 2017.

Conference Registration Fee:
MAAO member on or before August 25 - $275.00
MAAO member after August 25 - $300.00
Non-member on or before August 25 - $310.00
Non-member after August 25 - $335.00

Commissioner of Revenue’s Annual Meeting with Assessors

Commissioner of Revenue Cynthia Bauerly and staff will hold the Annual Meeting with Assessors on Monday, September 11th from 9:00 am to noon.  This session promises to be full of new information and timely announcements.

MAAO Annual Meeting

The Minnesota Association of Assessing Officers invites you to the 71st Annual Conference of the MAAO.  The conference includes the Commissioner of Revenue’s Annual Meeting with Assessors; the Annual Meeting of the MAAO and the MAAO sponsored seminars for continuing education. Sunday night at 6:00 we will have an opening reception at JJ Astor’s, the famed revolving restaurant on the 16^th floor with catered food and cash bar. 

On Monday evening conference participants will be welcomed to a 1-1/2 hour tour on the North Shore Scenic Railroad. The North Shore Scenic Railroad operates excursions along the historic Lakefront Line, a 26-mile section of rail between Duluth and Two Harbors. This rail corridor served a vital link in the transportation system for over 100 years. The Duluth Zephyr is the most popular trip! Great for all ages, this train operates daily in the summer and offers a 1-1/2 hour trip through downtown, along the shoreline of Lake Superior, through the historic Congdon Neighborhood wooded area, and up the shore to the Lester River, where the train stops to return to the Depot. After the tour, participants are on their own for the rest of the evening. 

MAAO Vendors Area

MAAO welcomes the vendors that contribute to the Fall Conference.  All vendors will be situated at the Great Hall Foyer. Please contact Paul Knutson with questions. Please stop by and talk with them.  In addition to our break area we will have the IAAO tables in that room. 

MAAO Hospitality Room 

Regions 2 and 5 will host the MAAO Hospitality Room.  The event will be held at the 15th floor Presidential Suite at the Radisson Duluth Harborview. The room will be open at times that do not conflict with an organized MAAO event and until 1:00 am. 

U40/10 Reception

President Kyle Holmes has arranged a U40/10 tour of the Canal Park Brewery at 3:00 PM on Sunday afternoon. The U40/10 group is made up of assessors under the age of 40 and/or with 10 years or less of membership in MAAO. This optional, free private tour social event promotes camaraderie and a sense of belonging and contribution to MAAO.  A shuttle leaves from the hotel lobby starting at 2:30. Participants must sign up in order to participate.

Questions??? Paul Knutson, MAAO Conference Coordinator @ 507-332-6152, [email protected] or Tami Paulson, MAAO Assistant Conference Coordinator @ 507-328-7668, [email protected]

EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS

Choose one 4-hour seminar (Tues or Wed), two 4-hour seminars (Tues & Wed) or 3 hour Ethics 

SEMINAR FULL - FS1  - Ethics for MN Assessors: 3 hrs Tues – Instructor: Jessi Glancy, MN Dept. of Revenue: This three-hour training is designed for all licensed Minnesota assessors with a focus on ethical behavior, ethical assessment practices, and professional conduct.  After completing this course the students will have a better understanding of what good ethics looks like, how to handle ethical dilemmas, why standardized assessment practices are so important and ethical leadership.  This course will include some instructor led discussion, hands on group activities that will require participation, and case studies that include ethical dilemmas. Class Limit of 50 ***THE STATE BOARD OF ASSESSORS GRANTS THREE (3) CEH FOR THIS SEMINAR!

FS2 - L.E.A.D. – Workload Management: 4 hrs Tues - Instructors: Michael Thompson, SAMA, Scott County & Stephen Baker, SAMA, Ramsey County:  This seminar is an abbreviated version of the 8-hour LEAD course devoted to assisting assessors in becoming more effective in creating training programs, allocating resources, prioritizing workloads, and succession planning. An emphasis will be placed on the creation and analyzation of relevant performance measurements at the employee, department, and organizational levels. Real-life examples and case studies will be brought up so that assessors understand how to apply these skills in their own office. Attendees will have access to numerous digital templates that they can take back to their office and customize.

FS3 - Tanks A Lot : 4 hrs Tuesday - Instructors: Brian Kieser, MAI, SAMA, City of Minneapolis; Tom Reineke, SAMA, CAE Ramsey County & Dave Kasperson, SAMA, City of Minneapolis:This seminar will cover the basics of the assessment of storage tanks. Discussion will include identifying tanks in your jurisdiction, and determining what is taxable and what is not. We will also discuss recent tax court decisions and legislative changes around tanks. Participants will learn to identify various types of tanks and how to value them using the cost approach.  Class Limit of 30

FS4 - So You’re a New Assessor – Now What?: 4 hrs Tuesday -Instructors: Rebecca Malmquist, CAE, SAMA, City of Minneapolis; Sherri Kitchenmaster, SAMA, Lyon County & Gary Griffin, SAMA, Crow Wing County:  This seminar will cover tips, tricks & best practices when becoming a new assessor.  It will discuss dealing with media, staff, customers and boards as well as budget do’s and don’t’s.  Additional discussion with deal with office work schedules.

FS5 - Assessment Administration Hot Topics: 4 hrs Tuesday - Instructors:  MN DOR:  This session will be offered in a panel format.  The panel will consist of multiple Property Tax employees from the DOR and will cover a wide variety of property tax topics including administration of new property tax laws, ag credit calculation, fractional homesteads, state assessed property, green acres calculations and much more.

FS6 - Residential Construction: 4 hrs Wednesday - Instructors:  Jason Jorgensen, SAMA, Meeker County; & Erik Skogquist:  Learn what different types of material and components go into a house from the excavation and footings to the shingles. This course will also cover some examples of what makes a home higher quality compared to a minimum code built home.

FS7 - eCRV, Sales Listings, and MCAST: 4 hrs Wednesday - Instructor:  Amy Rausch, SAMA, MN Dept. of Revenue:  In this seminar we will begin with the sales data; eCRV. Are you entering the right data in the right fields? Does “Why did my ag sales end up in my PT 96 bucket?” sound familiar?  Next, we will review the sales listings from DOR.  What do we need to review?  How do we make edits? How can we sort the spreadsheet? Finally, we will have an overview of MCAST.  Discussions will be around data stratification and reading time trends within MCAST.

SEMINAR FULL - FS8 - Ethics for MN Assessors: 3 hrs Wednesday – Instructor: Jessi Glancy, MN Dept. of Revenue: This three-hour training is designed for all licensed Minnesota assessors with a focus on ethical behavior, ethical assessment practices, and professional conduct.  After completing this course the students will have a better understanding of what good ethics looks like, how to handle ethical dilemmas, why standardized assessment practices are so important and ethical leadership.  This course will include some instructor led discussion, hands on group activities that will require participation, and case studies that include ethical dilemmas. Class Limit of 50  ***THE STATE BOARD OF ASSESSORS GRANTS THREE (3) CEH FOR THIS SEMINAR!

FS9 - GIS - Mobile World: 4 hrs Wednesday - Instructor:  Daniel Anderson, President, Data Solutions, LLC; Markus Yager, City of Maple Grove Appraiser; Josh Schoen, GISP, AMA, Assistant County Assessor, Rice County; Aaron Thielen, Ramsey County; Tom Reineke, Ramsey County:  Field appraisers are mobile by nature and your CAMA data should be mobile as well. Just going mobile or paperless is not enough, and could wind up being one of the worst mistakes an office can make. To truly realize the highest potential for productivity gains and cost savings you need to look for a field optimized mobile solution.  This session will discuss the differences between “paperless” and “field optimized” mobile solutions, including the importance of workflow, reporting, real-time field tracking, and quality control.

Continuing Education Hours (CEH). The State Board of Assessors will grant 3 CEHS for one three hour seminar, 4 CEHs for one four hour seminar, 7 CEHs for a one three hour seminar with one four hour seminar and 8 CEHs for two four hour seminars.  There are no Commerce Credits applied for.

Questions??? 
Paul Knutson, MAAO Conference Coordinator at 507-332-6152, [email protected].

Tami Paulson, MAAO Assistant Conference Coordinator at 507-328-7668, [email protected].  

Registration questions, Jackie Coulter, MAAO Education Coordinator at 320-761-0256, [email protected].

Click Here to Register for the 2017 Fall Conference!