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 Countys 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 Common Online Experience TaxpayerManagementBoard of E&R Appraisal Staff Durham Countys strategy Our approach: Dedicatedaddress to respond to general inquiries Online filing and tracking for appealsfiling and tracking Simple, easy-to-read online property record cardonline 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 dedicatedaddress 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/ https://qa-dconc.modria.com/ The live version of the new property record card is available at: nc/Property%20Record%20Card/nc/Property%20Record%20Card/ Questions?