Scott County Assessment Modernization Project

Abstract

This project was completed as part of a year-long partnership between Scott County and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (http://www.rcp.umn.edu). The goal of this project was to investigate the use of in-person inspections for the assessment of property value, and determine whether there is potential for alternative methods within the existing state statute. Scott County project lead Michael Thompson collaborated with students in Dr. Greta Friedmann-Sanchez’ course, PA 5041, to conduct interviews with county assessors in Minnesota counties to understand the benefits and challenges of the in-person inspection requirement, and provide qualitative evidence supporting the use of alternative methods in property assessment. A final student report, project brief, and PowerPoint presentation slides from the project are available.