The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointed Bill Wiley to serve as the Acting Administrator to the Assessor's Office during Assessor Petersen's 120-day suspension.

Below is a note from Mr. Wiley.

I am not a stranger to public service, having worked for federal, state, city, and county governments. My nearly 40-year career has taken me from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, into the private sector running several innovative departments within APS, and back into public service this decade leading the Maricopa County Air Quality Department and Flood Control District.

Most recently, I was chosen to lead the City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department on an interim basis; if you are slowed down by the ubiquitous paving activities, you are enjoying the fruit of my task there. I am proud of the work of these organizations and of the extraordinary staff with their dedication and commitment to quality work.

You might be wondering, "What does an acting administrator do?" I have been asked to lead this organization during this time and will be working closely with the leadership team to ensure the mission is met and that people see us a stable and responsive organization. While my time here has just begun, I have already met many staff members and see an energetic staff of hard-working and skilled individuals who are committed to innovation as well as our mission.

Being in the public eye is not easy; often, it can be a thankless job. But, it is an important and necessary job; government does the things that our citizens believe need to be done for the overall public benefit. Having been in both the public and private sectors, I prefer the former, as I've always felt fortunate to be able to serve.

Thank you for your trust and cooperation. Together, we will continue to serve the property owners and residents of this great county.

Innovating Local Government: How Project Green Line Reduced Inefficiencies and Improved Accuracy

PHOENIX, AZ — Maricopa County Assessor Paul D. Petersen's office has taken the stereotypical slow, inefficient government model and turned it on its head. Project Green Line has produced efficiency levels not typically associated with government.

Petersen's Ownership and Mapping Division processes property deeds and keeps maps of properties accurate. Both affect the timeline of buying and selling a home as well as legitimizing other property ownership changes. With the success of this project, the office has been able to process documents in real time. Streamlining this process ensures tax payers are able to view their property record transactions without waiting months for government paperwork to be processed and then made available to the public for viewing.

In 2018 alone, Petersen's office processed 306,551 documents, reduced average deed processing time by 14%, reduced property ownership errors by 54%, and mapped 20% more subdivisions. The office under Ownership and Mapping manager Ken Errico has accomplished this through using Lean Management Practices as well as Six Sigma methodologies as the baseline of the project. Both of these models are typical practices in the private sector.

Project Green Line is an example of a results-driven management system. In fact, it is a model that Chairman Bill Gates has called for in order to improve our county government for Maricopa County residents.

Assessor Petersen is also currently working to update other functionalities to help the office run more efficiently and assist the public better in navigating the complicated world of property taxes.

Contact: Ryan Boyd
Tel: (602) 372-9295 (o) / 602-316-3572 (c)
Email: Ryan.Boyd@maricopa.gov

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Assessor Paul D. Petersen Mails Annual Notice of Value

Values Rise Above Pre-Recession Levels; 60 Days to Appeal Values

PHOENIX, AZ – Maricopa County Assessor Paul D. Petersen is mailing out the annual Notice of Value for approximately 1.6 million real property parcels for tax year 2020 to Maricopa County property owners.

The annual notice of value includes both the full cash value which represents the market value and the limited property value which is used in property tax calculations for both the upcoming tax year 2020 and the tax year that just closed for comparison.

Real property values in Arizona are set a full year behind when they are used in order to allow for an extensive appeal process. Unlike other forms of taxation, property taxes allow residents to both appeal their individual values and testify on how much revenue should be raised in total to their local school districts, city or town, county board of supervisors and special districts.

Property owners will have 60 days to appeal their full cash value if they believe they have evidence that their property is worth less. While instructions are included on the Notice of Value, property owners can find more information on appeals at: Appeals Information Page.

"Our staff works diligently to provide high quality and efficient service to everyone in Maricopa County," Petersen said. "We are always willing to hear from you, our constituents, as our goal is to make sure every value is accurate and fair."

Overall, values have continued to rise following a seven-year trend. The median single-family residential full cash value has increased to $231,800, finally surpassing the pre-recession record of $229,500 in tax year 2008.

Commercial, apartments, condominiums and vacant land also saw significant value growth this year, with only manufactured housing seeing a decline in value among major property types.

Contact: Ryan Boyd
Tel: (602) 372-9295 (o) / 602-316-3572 (c)
Email: Ryan.Boyd@maricopa.gov

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Maricopa County Chief Deputy Assessor Timothy L. Boncoskey becomes President of the International Association of Assessing Officers

PHOENIX — Timothy L. Boncoskey, the Chief Deputy Assessor under Maricopa County Assessor Paul D. Petersen, took on the role of President of the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) as of January 1, 2019 as the second Arizonan to do so.

Chief Deputy Assessor Boncoskey will lead the nearly 8,000 assessment professionals interested in property valuation and taxation across the globe in their mission to promote innovation and excellence in property appraisal, assessment administration and property tax policy.

The IAAO continues to be the forum to discuss and set industry standards on emerging technology such as integrating drones and more geographic data into property appraisals. As President, Chief Deputy Assessor Boncoskey will help guide these discussions and bring back best practices that will benefit the Maricopa County community.

This act of service comes on top of over a decade of volunteerism in the professional field. Chief Deputy Assessor Boncoskey has served in the IAAO since joining then-Maricopa County Assessor Keith E. Russell’s administration in 2006. He also serves on the National Association of Counties (NACo) Board of Directors and previously served 17 years in various positions in Arizona’s State government.

The inauguration of Chief Deputy Assessor Boncoskey is just one of many examples of why the Maricopa County Assessor’s Office has a reputation for innovation and leadership in property assessment.

Under Maricopa County Assessor Paul D. Petersen and Chief Deputy Assessor Tim Boncoskey, the Assessor’s Office has adopted its award-winning Legal Class Verification and Desktop Review Programs, launched its first fully digital forms and promoted electronic statements. All of which save taxpayers money and provide more convenient service to the public.

Contact: Ryan Boyd
Tel: (602) 372-9295
Email: Ryan.Boyd@maricopa.gov

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Assessor Petersen Launches First Fully Digital Forms for County Property Owners

Getting things done at the Assessor's Office has never been easier with the addition of new electronic signature forms.

In the first round of fully digitizing forms, citizens can file to update their mailing address, apply for the Senior Valuation Protection program and combine Common Areas.

Instead of having to print out or edit a PDF form, the Adobe Sign Version of our forms allow individuals to fill out the entire form online. When the form is completed, it will be emailed to the Assessor's Office and the citizen so that each has a record of the submission without having to deal with the costs of paper forms.

"It's 2018 and we have the technology to provide secure and accessible electronic forms that make getting what you need to do, done at the Assessor's Office," Maricopa County Assessor Paul D. Petersen said.

The Assessor's Office will continue to expand the amount of services launched online as demand rises. Currently, the Assessor's Office also has teamed up with the Treasurer's Office to give taxpayers their Notices of Value and Tax Bills electronically through our e-Notice program.

To take advantage of these new digital forms, click on the "Adobe Sign Version " next to the old PDF forms in our Forms Library as shown below.

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Assessor's Office Donates Hard Hats to Habitat for Humanity

Keeping safe on the job is the highest priority for the Maricopa County Assessor's Office and Habitat for Humanity of Central Arizona.

"As our appraisers go out into the field, they often inspect new construction sites to add those to the property tax rolls," Assessor's Office Training Supervisor Tiffany Springan said, "Our team uses equipment such as hard hats and vests not only to keep themselves safe but also to communicate to the public that they are members of the Assessor's Office team."

As the County purchases newer equipment, the older equipment would be tossed aside.

Instead, Habitat for Humanity, the charity well-known for their construction of homes for low-income families, will receive the equipment to help continue their community service.

Habitat for Humanity has served Central Arizona since 1985 and has built or renovated more than 1,100 homes in Maricopa County and some parts of neighboring Pinal County.

Maricopa County Assessor Paul D. Petersen is honored to serve, "It is always a great thing when we can get the most use out of county equipment. The Assessor's Office strives to help Maricopa County residents in everything we do and to locate, identify and value all property in Maricopa County in the most efficient and effective way possible."

Assessor Petersen and Treasurer Flora Team-Up to Provide Convenient Service and Save Taxpayers Money During this Year's Notice of Value Mailing

Starting on February 23, 2018, the Maricopa County Assessor's Office and Treasurer's Office have partnered to provide convenience and cost savings through more eNotice options to property owners and taxpayers.

Currently, both offices provide residents with the convenience of receiving their Notice of Value or Tax Bill electronically through our eNotices service.

Providing notices electronically allows the Assessor and Treasurer to save taxpayer money that otherwise would have been used for postage. This can add up fast as the Assessor's Office will presently send out approximately 1.6 million valuation notices for tax year 2019 to the property owners of Maricopa County.

Previously residents have had to sign up for these services separately which has led to some residents only signing up for eNotices from one office. Beginning with this year's valuation notice, a new sign-up on eNotices will provide both Assessor's and Treasurer's Office notices to residents unless they opt-out of one of our services.

We're proud to provide common sense solutions that save taxpayers time and money and look forward to future innovations as we improve the quality of life for the fastest growing county in America.

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Assessor Petersen Releases Tax Year 2019 Valuation Notices

Phoenix — On February 23, 2018, the Maricopa County Assessor's Office will send out approximately 1.6 million valuation notices for tax year 2019 to all property owners in Maricopa County. Positive growth continues with a six year upward trend in single-family residential properties, with an increase in the median Full Cash Value (FCV), of 7.16 percent. This appreciation brings the median single-family FCV up to approximately $214,000 in Maricopa County.

Single-family residential properties saw the lowest amount of growth out of all property classes except for commercial. This is the fifth year of growth in the commercial area. Median values for commercial grew 8.18 percent, bringing 2019 median value up to $546,100 compared to $504,800 in 2018. Median values for vacant land increased 10.59 percent, with a median value of $35,500 compared to $32,100 from last year. Apartments continue to have the largest increase out of all classes, with a median value of $213,300 up 13.28 percent. Median values for manufactured housing grew 4.17 percent from $67,100 in 2018 to $69,900 in 2019.

"All property types are seeing positive growth which is consistent with what we have seen in the past few years," said Petersen "The housing market in Maricopa County has now nearly recovered from the recession that occurred from 2008-2010."

To illustrate this, the high point in the median FCV for a single family residential property was approximately $229,500 in tax year 2008. The low point occurred in tax year 2013 when the median single family FCV was $109,600.

The Maricopa County Assessor's Office strives to serve the taxpayers of the county with accuracy, equity, transparency, and efficiency. The Maricopa County Assessor's Office is, in fact, run as one of the lowest cost and most efficient assessment offices in the country. For example, through the office's legal class verification program, the office has saved over $38 million for the State of Arizona in state aid credit to education funding during the past three years.

This also marks the second year that the Maricopa County Assessor's Office saves property owners and the county time and money by providing voluntary e-notices. The e-notice program will allow property owners to opt-in to receive future notices of value and, starting this year, tax bills from the Maricopa County Treasurer's Office online with an authorization code attached to their 2019 notice of value.

For any further inquiries, contact us at the Assessor's Office, (602) 506-3406, visit our website at mcassessor.maricopa.gov, or view our twitter feed @MCAssessor.

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2017 Infograph

2017 Highlights

2019 NOV FAQ's

Sample 2019 Notice of Value Back End

Assessor's Office Featured as Leader in International Magazine

PHOENIX —The Maricopa County Assessor's Office was highlighted for its educational achievements in the international magazine, Fair and Equitable.

Since Paul Petersen was appointed as the Maricopa County Assessor in 2013, he has set out the Assessor Vision 2020 to guide the office to a future that enhances the capacity of our technology and staff to provide fair and equitable values while optimizing every dollar we use. This past year, 15 staff members achieved a professional designation from the International Association of Assessing Officers and 15 staff are currently working on these industry-recognized credentials.

With the hard work of our partners at the Arizona Department of Revenue, our peers internationally with the IAAO and our own staff, the Assessor's Office is honored to have been recognized as an international leader in the field of property tax assessment and administration.

Contact: Ryan Boyd
Tel: (602) 372-9295
Email: Ryan.Boyd@maricopa.gov

Setting the Standard by Allen Zing in Fair and Equitable