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2020 Fall Conference
Sunday, September 27, 2020, 2:00 PM to Wednesday, September 30, 2020, 12:00 PM CDT
Category: Events

 

 

2020 Fall Conference

September 27th – 30th, 2020

In-person and/or Virtual
Duluth, Minnesota

Registration closes Friday, September 18th, 2020.

 

 

 

• Commissioner of Revenue’s Annual Meeting with Assessors - Virtual Option!

• MAAO Annual Meeting and Election of Officers - Virtual Option!

• Topical Educational Seminars - Virtual Option!

 

 

A message from MAAO President Daryl Moeller: One of the toughest decisions I had to make was whether to have Fall Conference in person, virtually or cancel the conference all together. I was disappointed that Summer Seminars needed to be canceled this year, but there was nothing we could do with the restrictions that were in place at the time. I believe that if we take proper precautions, wearing face masks, reserving rooms that promote social distancing, temperature checks, hand sanitizing stations, staying home if you have symptoms or are sick and making smart choices while at the conference, we can stay safe and healthy. I have had assessors ask why in person, and I have had assessors thanking me for having the conference in person. Opinions are wide ranging amongst assessors.  The decision to hold the conference both in person and virtually is to allow everyone the opportunity to attend the conference that suits their comfort level. Attendance in Duluth is on everyone’s own risk; however, we will take efforts to minimize these risks. If for any reason, you are nervous about attending in-person, please stay home and attend the Conference virtually.  Everyone has their own reason and circumstances for either attending our Fall Conference in-person or virtually, we need to respect each other for the decision that we make.

 

Venue Safety Precautions

For the safety and comfort of attendees, sleeping rooms will be available at The Radisson Duluth Harborview. Smaller group meetings will be at the Radisson Duluth Harborview with safety protocols. Visit this link to see the Radisson’s cleanliness and disinfection protocol which as created in partnership with SGS and is designed to ensure your safety and peace of mind from check-in to check-out.

All general session meetings will be held at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) and all cleanliness and disinfection protocols will be in place as attendees arrive. Temperature checks and masks will be required.

 

Overnight Accommodations

The Radisson Duluth Harborview is offering sleeping rooms at the rate of: Run of House Single/Double $99.00 (subject to appropriate state, local and occupancy tax).

For reservations call 1-800-333-3333 and ask for MAAO or online at radisson.com/duluthmn. Type in dates of stay and scroll to PROMO CODE: enter MAAO20. The convention rates are good one day before the conference and one day after the conference. The cut-off date for room reservations is September 2, 2020. 

Skywalk Map

Click here to see the Skywalk Map between the Radisson Harborview and the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.

 

Conference Highlights

Seminar Features

  • Two-hour seminars: As of July 1, 2020, The Minnesota State Board of Assessors has approved 2-hour seminars for CEH's. MAAO is offering several 2-hour Seminars this year.  See more details under "Educational Seminars" below.
  • Virtual: MAAO will be offering a virtual attendance option for many seminars during the 2020 Fall Conference. See more details under "Educational Seminars" below.
  • Paperless: In response to the overwhelming feedback from the 2019 Summer Seminars that participants are ready to “go green” and reduce paper waste, MAAO will provide electronic copies of seminar materials prior to the conference. Participants can choose to print out their materials and bring hard copies or bring their materials electronically via laptop or mobile device. This helps keep registration fees lower and enables MAAO to be more environmentally conscious in our offerings. 

 

Commissioner of Revenue’s Annual Meeting with Assessors - Virtual Option!

Commissioner of Revenue Cynthia Bauerly with Jon Klockziem and DOR staff will hold the Annual Meeting with Assessors on Monday, September 28th from 9:00 a.m. to noon. This session promises to be full of new information and timely announcements. For those wanting to attend the DOR session virtually, please indicate so on your registration form.

 

MAAO Annual Meeting - Virtual Option!

The Minnesota Association of Assessing Officers invites you to the 74th 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 5:00 we will have an opening reception with catered food and cash bar. For those wanting to attend the Annual Meeting virtually, please indicate so on your registration form.

 

Harbor Cruise – Monday 4:00 p.m.

Enjoy a harbor cruise aboard the Vista Star boarding the dock at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center at 4:00 and leaving at 4:30. This hour and half cruise will highlight the famous Duluth Harbor. See Vista Fleet Cruises and Events for descriptions of the tour and the COVID protocols in place. Extra tickets for the Harbor Cruise and the subsequent light dinner are available for purchase for $50. See "Pricing" below.

 

MAAO Vendors Area

MAAO welcomes the vendors that contribute to the Fall Conference. All vendors will be situated at the DECC Harbor Side Ballroom Foyer. Please contact Paul Knutson for a table reservation. Please stop by and talk with them. In addition to our break area we will have the IAAO tables in that room.

 

Pricing

  • The Conference fee is $300.00 and includes the Harbor Cruise and the following meals: 2 lunches, 3 dinners and snacks and beverages throughout the conference. 
  • Virtual registration for the DOR Session, the MAAO Annual Meting and the Awards Presentation is $0 but registration is required. (Register at the bottom of the page.)
  • Seminar registration is $37.50 per 2-hour seminar and $75.00 per 4-hour seminar. 
  • Extra Banquet tickets are available for purchase for $50.00 per ticket. (Purchase tickets below.)
  • Extra tickets to the Harbor Cruise and subsequent light dinner are available for purchase for $50.00 per ticket. (Purchase tickets below.)

 

Questions?

Contact Paul Knutson, MAAO Conference Coordinator @ 507-332-6152, [email protected] or 
Dawn Klein, MAAO Assistant Conference Coordinator @ 651-438-4230, [email protected].

Registration Questions, MAAO Education Coordinator, [email protected]

  

AGENDA
Sunday, September 27th
2:00 - 5:00 Conference Registration - Great Hall Foyer, Radisson
3:00 pm Executive Board - Great Hall, Radisson
5:00 pm Opening Reception - Bowery Bros. Pub, Superior Street Level
   
Monday, September 28th
8:00 am – Noon Registration – DECC Harbor Side Ballroom
9:00 am – Noon Commissioner of Revenue Meeting – Harbor Side Ballroom
Noon – 1:00 pm Lunch – Harbor Side Ballroom
1:00 – 3:30 pm MAAO Annual Meeting – Harbor Side Ballroom
4:00 pm Harbor Cruise - Vista Fleet
6:30 pm Evening Dinner - Harbor Side Ballroom
   
Tuesday, September 29th 
7:30 am Past Presidents' Breakfast – Radisson
9:00 – 11:30 am MAAO Annual Meeting – Harbor Side Ballroom
11:30 am – 1:00 pm Lunch - Harbor Side Ballroom
1:00 – 5:00 pm  Educational Seminars - Radisson Breakout Rooms & Online
6:00 – 7:00 pm  Reception – Foyer at Harbor Side Ballroom
7:00 – 8:00 pm Annual Banquet – Harbor Side Ballroom
8:30 pm  Awards and Presentations - Harbor Side Ballroom
   
Wednesday, September 30th 
8:00 am – Noon Educational Seminars - Radisson Breakout Rooms

 

  

Educational Seminars 

Pricing: $37.50 per 2-hour seminar and $75.00 per 4-hour seminar. Due to the fixed costs of providing virtual seminars, in-person and virtual seminars are priced equally.

In-person Seminars:  In-person seminars will be at the Radisson Duluth Harborview. Registration is limited to ensure adherence to social distancing guidelines and not exceeding the Governor's 25% room capacity mandate.  Some in-person seminars will also have a virtual audience participating.

Virtual Seminars: Seminars with a virtual option are noted below. Virtual Seminars will be hosted through Webex.  Attending these online offerings requires a computer with audio, reliable internet, and the ability to access and run Webex (check with your employer). There is not a call-in only option for CEH's, and registered attendees whose internet connection prohibits them from participating in the entire seminar risk losing CEH’s.  Each seminar will be set up to take attendance via poll at intervals during the seminar, and attendees will jeopardize their CEH’s if they are not present and attentive for the entire period. 

Materials: Each registrant will be e-mailed a copy of the seminar materials prior to the Conference. Remember to download and print these or bring them in a digital format if you are attending in-person.

CEH's: As of July 1, 2020, the Minnesota State Board of Assessors has approved each 2-hour seminar for 2 CEH's and each 4-hour seminar for 4 CEH's. Commerce credits were not applied for.


 

question mark

So You're a New Assessor - Now What?

FC1 - 4 hrs. Tue., September 29, 1:00 – 5:00 (In-person & Virtual)

Gary Griffin, Crow Wing County, Rebecca Malmquist, City of Minneapolis, Sherri Kitchenmaster, MN Department of Revenue.  Newly appointed Assessors will discuss what their major challenges were when they became the Assessor, what they would do different, and what they would take to be better prepared for the position.  Additional topics that will be discussed include dealing with County, City and Township Boards, budgets, staffing, Board of Equalization, etc.

 

laptopDesktop Review Using Imagery & CAMA  

FC2 - 2 hrs. Tue., September 29, 1:00 – 3:00 (In-person & Virtual note: Instructors will be remote)

Mike Neimeyer, Dakota County, Matthew DeFlorin, Dakota County. The use of desktop review as an alternative to on-site inspections in revaluation has been emerging as a valuable data collection and review methodology within the profession. Tight integration of up-to-date street level imagery with GIS, CAMA, current oblique aerial imagery and sketching tools makes desktop review a powerful time saver for appraisers to actually view property from their office. IAAO standards provide for the use of imagery to supplement physical inspections to accommodate time and monetary savings, which makes a good case for desktop review where appropriate. Dakota County has implemented desktop review methodologies over the last several years on specific properties. This class will provide an overview of the program, which adheres to IAAO standards, and highlight several attributes that make for a good desktop review program, while also discussing the challenges and future enhancements.

 

Safety 1stAssessor Safety Training

FC3 - 2 hrs. Tue., September 29, 1:00 – 3:00 (In-person ONLY)
FC5 - 2 hrs. Tue., September 29, 3:00 – 5:00 (In-person AND Virtual)

Brian Johnson, Wright County Sheriff's Department. In the Personal Safety Training 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, understand how to be a good witness. In 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, and skills that will help de-escalation in heated situations.  

 

CropCrop Production Valuation

FC4 - 2 hrs. Tue., September 29, 1:00 - 3:00 (In-person ONLY)
FC6 - 2 hrs. Tue., September 29, 3:00 - 5:00 (In-person ONLY)

Sue Schulz, McLeod County. Sue Schulz from the MAAO Agricultural Committee will be instructing this seminar. The course will give the attendees information and techniques on how to transition to a Crop Production Valuation method. Sue will also instruct on agricultural homesteads, how to link and how different ownerships can affect homesteads. 

 

GISGIS Spatial Data Analysis

FC7 - 4 hrs. Wed., September 30, 8:00 – Noon (In-person AND Virtual)

Daniel Fasteen, PhD, Aumentum. This session will walk attendees through a comprehensive data analysis from CAMA extraction to the application of results. It will highlight methods of manipulating valuation data and the use of GIS to analyze spatial data consistency, accuracy, and geographical relationships. Other methods of analysis will include overlay, proximity, as well as generating graphs and summary statistics. Spatial modeling and other more advanced analysis will be demonstrated, and the application of clustering/grouping analysis will be discussed. Finally, the results of such analysis will be placed in the context of enhancing valuations within CAMA, and/or reconciling final estimates of value. The session will include a demonstration of the following software: ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS online, Insights, and R.

hempHemp as an Agricultural Product

FC8 - 2 hrs. Wed., September 30, 8:00 – 10:00 (In-person ONLY)
FC11 - 2 hrs. Wed., September 30, 10:00 - 12:00 (In person AND Virtual)

Tony Cortilet, MN Department of Agriculture. This presentation will be a review of the complex hemp laws – including the history of how we have arrived at where we are today, legislation, and conflicts in laws. It will also cover requirements of hemp farming in the U.S. and Minnesota, and some basic statistics of the last five years of production in the state. 

 

wetlandMN Conservation Easements

FC9 - 2 hrs. Wed., September 30, 8:00 – 10:00 (In-person ONLY)
FC12 - 2 hrs. Wed., September 30, 10:00 - 12:00 (In person ONLY)

Bill Penning, MN Land Trust and Board of Water and Soil Resources. 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 is and is 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.

 

4Classifications 4a, 4b and 4c

FC10 - 2 hrs. Wed., September 30, 8:00 – 10:00 (In-person AND Virtual)
FC13 - 2 hrs. Wed., September 30, 10:00 - 12:00 (In person ONLY)

Jessi Glancey, Department of Revenue. 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions?

Contact Paul Knutson, MAAO Conference Coordinator @ (507) 332-6152, [email protected] or 
Dawn Klein, MAAO Assistant Conference Coordinator @ (651) 438-4230, [email protected].

Registration Questions, MAAO Education Coordinator, [email protected]