2013 Spring newsletter

innovation being developed. Technology is moving so rapidly, and is probably our best opportunity for efficiencies. Our office was a little late getting to the ―Pictometry Party‖, but now that we have it, we have seen great results. It has decreased the time our appraisers are in the field by almost half, while increasing productivity. As Morgan says, ―having an appraiser drive out to a property and pull a tape around a building is our biggest expense‖, but now we can review most properties from our desk- top. I know many counties already have Pictometry or some comparable product, but if your county does not, do whatever you can to obtain it. We are now in the process of sharing Pictometry with other county departments, so they can work with it and see how it can benefit them. Our goal is to be able to have a flight each year, with the cost divided among the departments using it. Eventually, we will probably get the cities involved as well. It doesn’t seem that information flows well between most governmental departments. For too long, we’ve all been doing our own thing, sometimes duplicating services or data. Our office is trying to change this mentality by reaching out to other county departments to share information and technol- ogy. Just two weeks ago, we went to a demonstration for a product that has the potential of being the next game changer. Volusia County has a document manager (scanning) system known as Liberty, which was purchased by On Base, so the county is in the process of a conversion between the two companies. Our IT Director informed us about a module to the On Base system that allows plans to be scanned. We already have access to plans scanned in the Building Department’s system, but, unfortunately, it is difficult to read the dimensions unless it is a small ―cookie cutter‖ house. With the On Base system you’re able to zoom in and measure to scale on the screen, write notes on the document and export the sketch. We are currently trying to determine if the sketch could be imported directly into our CAMA system. Either way, this tool could be a huge time saver for new construction and additions, especially for commercial properties and complex dwellings. We are very excited about the possibilities. In conclusion, it would be difficult to pinpoint exactly where we would be from an industry standpoint had the economic downturn not occurred, but I believe by trying to keep ahead of the curve, we are further ahead. In our office and most likely in yours, we have done what the public has been clamoring about for years, that government needs to be more like private industry. We’ve cut the fat; we’re lean and mean, and much more efficient, while still keeping our high level of professional standards and quality service to the taxpayer. That’s a pretty bright ―silver lining‖ to come from such a dark ominous cloud.

Article Contributor: Jan Cornelius, CFE, Chief Deputy, Volusia County

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Spring 2013 Newsletter of the FCIAAO