The County Perspective

Melissa Scott – Greenbrier County

Tax Maps – different levels of data Sharing Digital Data

With State With Public

Who “Owns” the Rights to Data Modern data distribution regs.

Mapping is a very under-rated part of the taxation process

Instead of an ancillary product of the process it should be recognized as crucial to the process

There are numerous ways better tax maps can increase the efficiency of the appraisal & assessment process

You can’t tax something when you don’t know where it is, or who

owns it!

Hard Copy – always available to everyone

Non-Editable Digital (TIFF & PDF) Editable Digital (CAD or GIS)$ Editable Digital Maps with linked

Data (GIS)

Better Data Costs More, BUT it is More Valuable

State Tax Department is entitled to County Map Data; it is necessary to carry out the functions of taxation

BUT

Some Counties are spending a lot of local money to upgrade tax maps into digital data that is of much higher quality than is required to be shared back to the State Tax Department

Better Data = $$ More Valuable Data $$

This becomes the question!

Sharing data benefits State/Federal Projects, and when data is used for gov. purposes, those benefits trickle down to the local governments

Helps build a statewide seamless tax map which leads to more informed taxation and better policy

Promotes use of data standards which in turn makes sharing data easier Especially helpful along county boundaries

Easy to use info keeps (most) citizens/voters happy

If fees are charged it can help counties recoup some of the money needed for map maintenance and upgrades – only works as long as others aren’t re-distributing the data

Easier public access to data fosters economic growth; more information leads to more interest in the area

Misuse of the data which leads to

Lost Resources and Complications

Clear Guidelines and State Backed Regulations on Public Data Distribution and Pricing Clear no re-distribution agreements Who decides how much to charge for what

Clear Procedures on Local/State Data Share Who has the right to redistribute what

Who “owns” the data

Without Clear Regulation, we are all at risk Lost revenue Law Suits Compromised Inter-Agency Relationships

Counties Share Data with State State (or County) Sells Data – per map

No specification on different formats No clear pre-purchase agreement is

required stating what the purchaser knows and understand what can and can not be done with this data

Digital Data distribution is not Addressed in Current Regulation

No Enforcement Measures for Data Misuse

Change Title 189 Series 5 - “Tax Map Sales” and WV Code §11-1C-7 to reflect the following:

Hard Copy or non-editable digital tax maps (pdf or tiff) can be purchased at County or State Tax Dept…

Establish reasonable price for digital transfer and adjust cost of hard copy to cover new printer ink prices

Digital Tax Map (editable) may be purchased at County

Add in provisions to allow for counties to establish their own regulation and pricing on editable digital data release

Update “Drafting” section of Series 5 Formulate Policy to Share Data with State

Encourage the sharing all formats with State by creating an agreement, with understanding that state relinquishes rights to sell editable digital files that have been created and are maintained by the Counties

Information needs to flow up and down or relationships can get strained and cooperation can be compromised

With communication, issues can be resolved or prevented before they become an obstacle to cooperation

Inter-Agency Relationships

Communication = Cooperation

Realize the benefits of better mapping

Inform yourself on the data distribution regulations

Support efforts to modernize our current regulation to reflect current issues