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Assessor Eddie Cook Reviews His First 90 Days in Office

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It has been nearly three months since the Board of Supervisors unanimously decided to appoint me as your new Assessor. I’m very humbled and honored to continue serving as a public servant for the greater county. My business objective is to bring the wonderful corporate best practices that I’ve help lead in the Town of Gilbert to transform an organization to become a high-performance team while providing the highest quality of service at the lowest cost to the taxpayer. These three months have been filled with challenges, opportunities, and new ways of work that we never thought would be necessary.

My tenure began as the team was in the final steps of a successful Notice of Value delivery to Maricopa County property owners. I made sure we celebrated this accomplishment; we came together to thank everyone for their hard work, and I was able to meet dozens of team members. It was something that had not happened in previous years and went a long way toward developing a one team culture.

Little did I know that this celebration would be one of the last interactions we would have as a group for a long time. Three weeks later, our office was transitioning to working remotely and developing ways to continue to serve the public electronically and over the phone. I’m incredibly proud of the way our team has handled this crisis and has created innovative solutions that have enabled us to continue our mission.

This challenge has given us the opportunity to not only develop new workflow methods but also look into internal processes to determine how we can serve the public more efficiently and effectively. Last month, the Board of Supervisors approved the elimination of the rental registration fee. While we will continue to maintain record of the thousands of rental properties throughout the county, owners will no longer have to pay the $10 fee that accompanied their registration form.

Our leadership team, led by Chief Deputy Assessor Dawn Marie Buckland and I, will continue to explore process changes that will benefit our team, property owners, and residents over the next few months. Along with these changes, we are performing a SWOT analysis to identify our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to our office. These will be beneficial to know and can make changes accordingly to develop our team and continue toward our goal of being the leader in the assessment industry.

One of our major focuses will be to educate the public on what we do, how we do it, and what options property owners have. It’s no secret that we’re often confused with the Treasurer's Office as the people who collect or set taxes. With the current state of our economy, it is more important than ever that property owners understand what their Notice of Value means, what the appeal process is, and any other issues they may have with the assessment of their property.

The next few months are sure to bring challenges, but we are ready to take on what is ahead. We are one team committed to serve Maricopa County, and I am proud to lead.

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Rental Registration Fee Eliminated

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Owners of rental property in Maricopa County will no longer pay to register their property with the Maricopa County Assessor's Office as of May 1.

Arizona state statute requires property owners to register all rental property with their respective assessor's office. Since 2008, the Maricopa County Assessors Office has issued a $10 fee with this registration. Assessor Eddie Cook recommended this fee be eliminated, and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved this recommendation at their meeting Wednesday, April 8.

"One of my main goals as Assessor is to explore new ways to improve business processes within the office to make sure we are a best-in-class organization," Assessor Cook said. "Eliminating this fee is a great start to improving our efficiency to ensure we are serving property owners and residents to the best of our ability."

The Assessor's Office will continue to track rental properties, rental ownership details and property classification information so municipalities and the public can be provided with this information upon request.

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Dawn Marie Buckland Appointed Chief Deputy Assessor

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Dawn Marie Buckland was appointed Chief Deputy Assessor on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

Dawn Marie brings more than two decades of governmental experience to the Assessor’s Office. She most recently served as the Deputy Town Manager for the Town of Paradise Valley where she managed staff and an $11-million annual budget. Prior to her work in Paradise Valley, she served the City of Peoria, City of Chandler, and Town of Gilbert in budget and managerial positions. Prior to her municipal work, she proudly served our country in the United States Air Force for nine years.

Dawn Marie earned her Bachelor’s degree in business and information technology from the University of Phoenix, a Master’s degree in administration from Northern Arizona State University, and is designated as a Certified Public Manager from Arizona State University.

A native of Oregon, she is married to Kenny, a retired Town of Gilbert police officer. They have five children between the two of them - two of which followed in her footsteps to join the Air Force - and recently welcomed their first grandchild.

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Property Values Rise in Maricopa County

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Assessor's Office Delivers Notices of Value to Property Owners

Median property values for single-family residential homes in Maricopa County rose for the eighth consecutive year, according to data in the Maricopa County Assessor's Office 2021 Property Valuation Notices.

More than 1.8 million Notices of Value will be mailed or sent to property owners via eNotice Friday, Feb. 21. Each year, the Assessor's Office identifies, locates, and values each property parcel for the fourth-largest and fastest-growing county in the country. Property values in Arizona are set a full year ahead to allow for an extensive appeal process, and, unlike other forms of taxation, property taxes allow residents to both appeal their individual values and testify on how much revenue should be raised by tax jurisdictions.

All property types saw an increase in median value for the 2021 tax year. Apartments saw the largest increase of 12.3%, and manufactured housing increased the least by 3.3%.

"Our team worked hard in the face of adversity to ensure property values were assessed properly," said Assistant Chief Deputy Assessor Lesley Kratz. "The Arizona Department of Revenue certified our values last month without issue, and I'm proud of the work we have accomplished over the last year."

Property owners have 60 days from the Feb. 21 issuance to appeal, if they believe their property was improperly valued or misclassified. Last year, the Assessor's Office heard approximately 4,000 total appeals.

Notice of Value FAQ & Key Terms (PDF)

Assessor's Office 2019 Highlights (PDF)

Notice of Value Video

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Eddie Cook Sworn In as Maricopa County Assessor

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Eddie Cook was sworn in as Maricopa County Assessor shortly after 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Assessor Cook spent the last nine years serving the Town of Gilbert. He helped successfully lead the fast-growing town and brought new initiatives and programs that have become a model for municipalities across the state. Among his accomplishments are creating the Town of Gilbert ENDVR (Ending Domestic Violence Responsibly) program and serving as the president of the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association and chairman of the Maricopa Association of Government Domestic Violence Council.

Outside of the public sector, Eddie has spent more than 30 years in the high technology industry. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Arizona State University and has worked for large companies including NetApp, Silicon Graphics, Parametric Technologies, Motorola, and Orbital Sciences.

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Eddie Cook Appointed Assessor

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The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointed Eddie Cook to become the next Maricopa County Assessor. He will be sworn in Wednesday, Feb. 19, and will fill the position through Dec. 31, 2020.

Eddie has served the public on the Town of Gilbert Council since 2011, most recently as vice-mayor. In his nine years of public service, he has helped successfully lead the fast-growing town and brought new initiatives and programs that have become a model for municipalities across the state. Among his accomplishments are creating the Town of Gilbert ENDVR (Ending Domestic Violence Responsibility) program and has served as the president of the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association and chairman of the Maricopa Association of Government Domestic Violence Council.

Outside of the public sector, Eddie has spent more than 30 years in the high technology industry. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Arizona State University and has worked for large companies including NetApp, Silicon Graphics, Parametric Technologies, Motorola, and Orbital Sciences.

Born in Okinawa, Japan, Eddie is married to Jenny, his high school sweetheart. They have five children and three grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys scuba diving, is a certified glider pilot, volunteers for several charitable organizations, and enjoys exploring Arizona.

We welcome Eddie to the Assessor’s Office and look forward to the knowledge and leadership he brings.

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Chief Deputy Assessor Tim Boncoskey Announces Departure

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Chief Deputy Assessor Tim Boncoskey will be leaving the Maricopa County Assessor's Office next month after 14 years of service to Maricopa County.

Boncoskey accepted an offer to become the Assistant Assessor/Recorder/Clerk for San Diego County. His last day of service to Maricopa County will be Friday, Feb. 14.

"Thank you for your friendship, for your service, and for all your help along the way," he writes in a statement. "You are the most professional, dedicated, and loyal staff I have ever been associated with in my career. I will miss each one of you."

Read his complete statement below.

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Seniors: Apply for Valuation Protection Today

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If you are over the age of 65, you may qualify for valuation protection.

Applications are being accepted for the 2020 Senior Valuation Protection. This program freezes the taxable portion of your property value for three years. While it will freeze your property value, it will not freeze your property taxes or tax rate.

In order to be eligible for this program, you must meet the three qualifications below:

• At least one owner on the property title must be at least 65 years old
• Provide proof of the property is used as the primary residence for at least two years
• Have a maximum income of $37,584 for one owner or $46,980 for two owners

If you meet these qualifications, complete the application form by Sept. 1. You will be notified by Dec. 1 if your application is accepted.

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AZ Department of Revenue Approves 2021 Notices of Value

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The fruit of our hard work to assess more than 1.6 million parcels in Maricopa County accurately and fairly has been a tremendous success.

The Arizona Department of Revenue approved our 2021 Notices of Value earlier this week. "Because of the great work by your team, no equalization is necessary," they wrote.

View more of the statement below and be on the lookout for your 2021 Notice of Value in late February!