MORE: Auditor: Clark County could be test case for shared services
“We are going to use some high-tech photographic equipment and update our street-level imagery,” Federer said.
After all the photos are taken, the office will utilize them to assess property values. The auditor’s office will check properties again if there are questions around the image, Federer said. Residents can appeal if they believe that their property isn’t valued correctly in 2019.
The current images in the county’s database are from 2010, he said, and technology and the properties have changed since then.
“We just want to make them right and make them accurate and fair for all the taxpayers and residents of Clark County,” Federer said.
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To do so, the auditor’s office has contracted with Tyler Technologies, based out of Dayton. Curtis Tyler, who is a senior project appraisal supervisor, said three vans will be going all around Clark County to take pictures of every parcel. He said residents will likely see them around the county.
“They are clearly identified with signage identifying them as from the county and we have badges that are issued from the county also,” he said. “People should not be alarmed when they see us out there.”
The vans will be out Monday through Friday for eight hours every day, and on Sunday morning for about four hours so businesses can be photographed with little to no vehicles in their parking lots.
The privacy of residents is important to the auditor’s office and Tyler Technology, they said. No residents will be photographed and the photographers will skip a property and return later if people are outside, if a garage door is open or if a child’s toy is in the yard. They will also try to not take pictures of vehicles, and will blur out any license plate numbers captured.
“If somebody sees these vans around, these are agents of the auditors office,” Federer said. “We have notified the sheriff’s office, police and the first responders where these vans are going to be. If someone has a question they can call the auditor’s office.”
The photos taken will be put online with the property value data. They will be accessible to anyone. The current auditor’s website gets a couple thousand visits a day, Federer said, and it’s a good tool to keep the office transparent.
If a resident believes a van isn’t with the auditor’s office or sees one trying to resemble them, Federer said it would be best to call police or deputies to ensure everyone’s safety.
By the numbers
$300,00: The cost of taking pictures of every approved parcel in Clark County
57,000: The number of approved parcels in Clark County
3: The number of vans that will be around Clark County taking pictures of every approved parcel
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