SS 1 – ASSESSOR SAFETY TRAINING, 2 hrs. Wednesday, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Instructor: Brian Johnson, Wright County Sheriff’s Department.  Assessors will learn to recognize that there is no simple answer to personal safety, understand the importance of setting safe personal boundaries, understand the importance of listening to the inner voice, and understand how to be a good witness. In the Verbal Commands and De-escalating assessors will learn how to recognize mental health issues and people in crisis. The importance of setting goals and training. Skills that will help de-escalation in heated situations.  IN-PERSON PRESENTATION

SS 2 – ASSESSOR SAFETY TRAINING, 2 hrs. Wednesday, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Instructor: Brian Johnson, Wright County Sheriff’s Department.  Assessors will learn to recognize that there is no simple answer to personal safety, understand the importance of setting safe personal boundaries, understand the importance of listening to the inner voice, and understand how to be a good witness. In the Verbal Commands and De-escalating assessors will learn how to recognize mental health issues and people in crisis. The importance of setting goals and training. Skills that will help de-escalation in heated situations.  IN-PERSON PRESENTATION

SS 3 – GRAIN ELEVATORS, 4 hrs. Wednesday, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Instructor: Bob Ehler, Vanguard Appraisals Inc. Discussion will begin with the components of a commercial grain elevator, including what items should be included in the assessment and which items should be excluded as personal property/equipment. The various types of storage and types of grain elevators will be discussed including the pros and cons of each type and the design and layout of a grain facility and its impact on the facilities value. The history of the commercial grain industry will be explored including the impact of the ethanol industry to the flow of grain. Finally, we will review the proposed cost schedules for the new MN Grain Elevator Cost Schedule. IN-PERSON PRESENTATION

SS 4 – USING OBLIQUE AERIAL IMAGERY FOR ASSESSMENT, 2 hrs. Wednesday, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Instructor: Dean Larson, Eagleview. There are alternative solutions to performing onsite appraisal and assessment inspections. These alternatives are outlined in IAAO Standard 3.3.5 Standard on Mass Appraisal of Real Property. With the use of imagery, sketch verification and change detection, organizations can increase their efficiency, reduce expenses, and even reduce the number of unsafe situations appraisers may end up in. This course details the use of Eagleview oblique and orthogonal images, Streetview images, Sketch Check, ChangeFinder, and CONNECT applications to meet those assessment and appraisal requirements. IN-PERSON PRESENTATION  

SS 6 – ADAPTING TO A COVID WORLD, 2 hrs. Wednesday, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Instructor: John Conway, Winona County.  This course will discuss the challenges the COVID pandemic has brought to assessors and how they should move going forward. Going over the importance of public relations, a refresher why quintile inspections are needed, brief talk about safety and group discussions how everyone is handling these strange and difficult times will be part of this class. IN-PERSON PRESENTATION

SS 7 – ADAPTING TO A COVID WORLD, 2 hrs. Wednesday, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Instructor: John Conway, Winona County.  This course will discuss the challenges COVID pandemic has brought to assessors and how they should move going forward. Going over the importance of public relations, a refresher why quintile inspections are needed, brief talk about safety and group discussions how everyone is handling these strange and difficult times will be part of this class. IN-PERSON PRESENTATION

SS 8 - MANAGING DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS FOR ASSESSORS, 2 hrs. Wednesday, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Instructor: R. Jeffery Ringer, Professor of Communication Studies, St. Cloud University. Why do some conversations with property owners spiral into arguments? When assessors go door to door for quintile, why is it easy to talk about some things but difficult to talk about others? In this session, we will look at how conversations unfold and why they sometimes move in directions that are not productive. We will learn and practice skills that will improve our ability to talk with our taxpayers and public decision makers such as Local and County Boards in ways that are productive and fulfilling. IN-PERSON PRESENTATION

SS 9 – MANAGING DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS FOR ASSESSORS, 2 hrs. Wednesday, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Instructor: R. Jeffery Ringer, Professor of Communication Studies, St. Cloud University. Why do some conversations with property owners spiral into arguments? When assessors go door to door for quintile, why is it easy to talk about some things but difficult to talk about others? In this session, we will look at how conversations unfold and why they sometimes move in directions that are not productive. We will learn and practice skills that will improve our ability to talk with our taxpayers and public decision makers such as Local and County Boards in ways that are productive and fulfilling. IN-PERSON PRESENTATION

Wednesday Virtual Seminars

SS 10 – MN RESIDENTIAL FORM REPORT, 4 hrs. Wednesday, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Instructor: Patrick Chapman, Ramsey County. This seminar will assist individuals in writing a residential demonstration form report. The students will be provided with the most complete and up to date checklist to refer to as the candidate writes their report. The student reference manual will also provide step-by-step instructions for writing the report and will include many examples to help them successfully complete their report.  VIRTUAL PRESENTATION ZOOM

SS 11 - CLASSIFICATION 4abc, 2 hrs. Wednesday, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Instructors: Alexis D’Valle and Jessi Glancey, DOR. Assessors are tasked with classifying property based on its use, which might sound pretty simple, however it’s everything but simple. This seminar will provide an in-depth review of properties that have a non-homestead use and belong somewhere in the 4’s classification bucket. The focus of this seminar will be on classifications: 4a, the 4b’s, and some of the 4c’s. Note: if you took this course at the 2020 fall conference, you will not receive CEH’s for taking it again at summer seminars. VIRTUAL PRESENTATION ZOOM

SS 12 –Beacon Training, 2 hrs. Wednesday, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Instructor: Mollie O’Dell, Technical Sales Representative, Schneider Geospatial.  Navigating Beacon: Exploring search criteria, map layers, comparable searches, sales searches, saving search criteria. Also the use of tools in Beacon: measuring tools, selection tools, zoom tools, spatial selection tools and markup tools. VIRTUAL PRESENTATION ZOOM

Thursday In-Person Seminars

SS 13 – VALUING AGRICULUTURAL BUILDINGS, 2 hrs. Thursday, 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM. Instructor: Mark Koehn, Stearns County. This class will look at developing base rates, determining obsolescence, valuing repurposed agricultural buildings, and determining depreciation on agricultural structures.  The course content is from the newly developed Advanced Ag course. IN-PERSON PRESENTATION 

SS 14 – VALUING AGRICULURAL BUILDINGS, 2 hrs. Thursday, 10:00 AM– 12:00 PM. Instructor: Mark Koehn, Stearns County.  This class will look at developing base rates, determining obsolescence, valuing repurposed agricultural buildings, and determining depreciation on agricultural structures.  The course content is from the newly developed Advanced Ag course. IN-PERSON PRESENTATION 

SS 15 - MN CONSERVATION EASEMENTS, 2 hrs. Thursday, 8:00 AM -10:00 AM. Instructor: Sharon Douchette, Conservation Easement Manager, MINNESOTA BOWSR. This course will focus on the Reinvest In Minnesota (RIM) conservation easement program. We will cover what a conservation easement is, how it works and what allowed and not allowed on a RIM conservation easement. We will discuss the various RIM easement programs including Wild Rice, ACUB, CREP, RIM Wetlands, RIM Working Grasslands and various other RIM habitat and water quality easement programs. RIM easements will be compared and contrasted to other easement programs in MN such as Federal Wetlands Reserve Enhancement easements and easements through non-profit organizations such as the Minnesota Land Trust. Come prepared with your questions about the tax implications of these programs and we will have a discussion about easements and taxes.  IN-PERSON PRESENTATION

SS18 – RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION, 4hrs. Thursday, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Instructor: Jason Jorgensen, Wadena County. 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. IN-PERSON PRESENTATION

SS19 - MN RESIDENTIAL FORM REPORT, 4 hrs. Thursday, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Instructor: Patrick Chapman, Ramsey County. This seminar will assist individuals in writing a residential demonstration form report. The students will be provided with the most complete and up to date checklist to refer to as the candidate writes their report. The student reference manual will also provide step-by-step instructions for writing the report and will include many examples to help them successfully complete their report.  IN-PERSON PRESENTATION 

Thursday Virtual Seminars

SS20 – eCRV, REJECTS AND VERIFICATIONS, 2 hrs., Thursday 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM. Instructors: Lisa Dejoras, Sherri Kitchenmaster, Gale Zimmerman, DOR. This course will cover eCRV governance, rejection reasons, and sales study verification. Topics include the eCRV User Group, informing eCRV priorities; county recommendations for the state study, Sales Ratio Study reject selection, rejection code definitions and how to apply reject codes including example scenarios; this course will also provide instruction on sales study verification and ensuring accuracy in property tax record information. VIRTUAL PRESENTATION ZOOM

SS21 - eCRV, REJECTS AND VERIFICATIONS, 2 hrs., Thursday 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM . Instructors: Lisa Dejoras, Sherri Kitchenmaster, Gale Zimmerman, DOR. This course will cover eCRV governance, rejection reasons, and sales study verification. Topics include the eCRV User Group, informing eCRV priorities; county recommendations for the state study, Sales Ratio Study reject selection, rejection code definitions and how to apply reject codes including example scenarios; this course will also provide instruction on sales study verification and ensuring accuracy in property tax record information. VIRTUAL PRESENTATION ZOOM

SS22 - Beacon Training, 2hrs. Thursday, 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM. Instructor: Mollie O’Dell, Technical Sales Representative, Schneider Geospatial. Navigating Beacon: Exploring search criteria, map layers, comparable searches, sales searches, saving search criteria. Also the use of tools in Beacon: measuring tools, selection tools, zoom tools, spatial selection tools and markup tools. VIRTUAL PRESENTATION ZOOM