Transcript Transparency in Appeals

Transparency in Appeals
Kim Simpson,
Durham County Tax Administrator
Presented by Steve Pelfrey,
Durham County Deputy Assessor
Some of the issues:

Taxpayers contacting office for appeal purposes in multiple ways

Barriers to convenient communication with taxpayers

Variation in taxpayer inquiry volume (different times/stages of tax year)

Time involved in routing inquiries appropriately

Ability of taxpayers to develop meaningful appeals

Keeping track of documentation

Consistency in responses from tax office

Ability for managers to provide oversight

Getting consistent information in front of the Board of E&R

The need to manage everything with current CAMA system, but not be
dependent on it
Durham County’s Goal

Develop a method of interaction with taxpayers that:

Maximizes the convenience and options for taxpayers

Creates a discussion thread between taxpayers and staff

Gives supervisors a means of oversight

Further reduces paper

Improves Board of E&R efficiency
How do taxpayers want to contact us?

An article in the April, 2014 issue of Fair &
Equitable referenced a study which found that
communication by the Internet has become the
primary channel of contact in the United States

The same study indicated that Americans actually
preferred communicating with government offices
via the Internet, compared to other methods
Durham County’s strategy
Taxpayer
Appraisal
Staff
Common
Online
Experience
Board of E&R
Management
Our approach:

Dedicated email address to respond to general inquiries

Online filing and tracking for appeals

Simple, easy-to-read online property record card

Online tool for taxpayers to locate suitable comparable sales

Online demographics to provide community information
Results

In the first year of implementation, the online appeal process was the choice
of taxpayers for about 50% of appeals, without any announcement or
promotion of the online appeal process

We do not believe the convenience of online filing has increased the number
of appeals

Appeals were resolved faster, because both staff and supervisors could keep
track of individual appeal activity

Board of E&R preparation time was reduced
Takeaway Points

The overall goals were:

To make it easier for taxpayers to get relevant information and to file appeals

To make it easier for staff, management, and Board of E&R to track appeals

The online process helps accomplish both of these goals

We happened to choose particular vendors and particular products, but there
are certainly other alternatives

It can start with a dedicated email address that is actively monitored, and a
willingness to help taxpayers develop the best appeals they can
 The
“sandbox” version of the online
appeals system is available at:
 https://qa-dconc.modria.com/
 The
live version of the new property record
card is available at:
 http://dev.spatialest.com/durham-
nc/Property%20Record%20Card/
Questions?
[email protected]
919-560-0409