Reforms assure fairness
12th December 2011 · 0 Comments
By Assessor Erroll G. Williams
Contributing Columnist
1-1-11
We started this year believing this was a good omen, a chance to start over with the pledge that change was on its way to the Assessor’s Office of Orleans Parish.
Even though I have been in public service for 32 years, this was the year many of you got to know me.
I would like to thank the citizens of New Orleans for helping my office get through this first year of consolidation of the seven former Assessor’s Offices. We have formed a strong, respectable relationship, which is due in large part to our mutual dedication to fairness and transparency.
By nature, I am a conservative person. We will not always agree, but you will always find me open and able to listen. And at the end of the day, you will find me standing with you, determined to build a better community and a stronger public office.
As a public servant, I’m dedicated to being the best. To my staff and me, that translates into spending your money wisely, modernizing the office so it is easier for you to use, and building your confidence through courteous, professional and equitable assessment practices.
We are halfway through a two-year deadline I’ve given myself to build and implement the best quality process and management system the Assessor’s Office can offer.
Our biggest challenge was to create and maintain an accurate, accessible database. You will find our website, www.nolaassessor.com, allows you to verify your property assessment, see if any taxes are due, and compare it with similar properties.
Central to this accomplishment is the creation of a computer-assisted mass appraisal system (CAMA). There is an informational flyer about this process on the website, but in short, it is a way to analyze and maintain property data, values and notifications by weaving together information from physical records, real-time appraisals, aerial images and other sources so that a fair and equitable tax roll is created. We used CAMA to update about two-thirds of the city’s property valuations, so far.
In this process, the individual remains the most important participant in our activities: you as the individual property owner and the individuals in my office who appraise properties with the objectives of “fair and equitable” constantly in their mindset.
My office does not set your tax rate: The officials of each tax recipient agency determine that. But my office does make sure the property assessments upon which these taxes are levied are accurate.
A lot has changed in my 30 years of service. City government faces challenges. There were 9,000 city employees in 1980 serving 556,000 residents; today there are 3,900 city employees serving 340,000 residents.
While public safety, public works and general government services continue to be the dominant expenditure categories in government, revenue derived from property taxes plays a greater role in paying for these services. In 1980, property tax collections accounted for six percent of generated revenues; today, they account for more than 16 percent.
Since consolidating the seven offices, we have created a system of 393 residential neighborhoods and 141 commercial zones for assessment purposes. More than ever, it is important that our valuation process be modern and updated; that the appeals process be professional; and that changes be constantly monitored in our community.
As our office continues these necessary reforms to ensure all properties in Orleans are assessed fairly and equitably, we want to thank you for the faith, patience and confidence you have shown in us through this process.
Assessor Erroll G. Williams can be reached at (504) 658-1300. His offices are located on the 4th floor of City Hall or on the first floor of the Algiers Courthouse.
This article was originally published in the December 12, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper
