Recognizing the work of assessors on National Assessors Day

Published on September 24, 2024

LĪHU‘E – As we celebrate National Assessors Day today, Sept. 24, the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) and the County of Kaua‘i encourage the public and industry partners to celebrate the importance and value of assessors.

Earlier this month, the County of Kaua‘i’s Real Property Division had 16 staff members enrolled in an IAAO 101 course, Fundamentals of Real Property Appraisal. They included appraisers, technical staff, supervisors, a program manager, a tax manager, and the Director of Finance.

“Mahalo to our Department of Finance team for continuing to provide our County with the tools our island needs to run smoothly” said Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami. “Investing in education and training leads to a more knowledgeable and effective workforce. This ultimately benefits the hardworking taxpayers in our community by enhancing customer care and streamlining service.”

Assessors (or appraisers in some states) are government officials who determine the value of real property for property taxation purposes. Jurisdictions use the revenue from property taxes to provide law enforcement, fire services, road construction, and many other services that benefit the community.

Assessors are trained to determine the fair market value of property, which is the price agreed upon between a willing and informed buyer and a willing and informed seller. It is important to note that assessors are only responsible for determining the value of properties for tax purposes. In contrast, tax rates are typically set by local governing bodies such as city, county, or town councils.

International Association of Assessing Officers members are committed to providing fair and equitable property valuation assessments. Valuation disparity is an assessment, legislative, political, and educational issue. Therefore, all parties must work together to identify any issues that currently exist and to prevent disparities from occurring in the future.

IAAO believes the following are cornerstones of providing fair and equitable property assessments:

• Appraising properties regularly to determine fair market value;
• Following IAAO technical standards on assessment and office operations;
• Allocating adequate resources to jurisdictions to carry out the assessing function in accordance with best practices; and
• Providing assessors and assessing staff with training and ongoing professional development

IAAO technical standards guide property tax assessment officials, tax policy analysts, and administrators.

Public trust in performance is the foundation of credibility, and jurisdictions follow IAAO’s Code of Ethics. IAAO ethics note that members must embrace the highest ethical principles and that the pursuit of excellence, accountability, transparency, inclusivity, and responsiveness must be integral to our behavior.

National Assessors Day reflects the value Assessors bring to their community by helping fairly determine property values, which help fund government services.

For more information, contact the Real Property Assessment Division at 808-241-4224, email rpassessment@kauai.gov, or visit https://www.kauai.gov/Government/Departments-Agencies/Finance/Real-Property-Tax/Assessment.

From left to right: Pat Alesandrini (Sr. IAAO Instructor), Scott Teruya, Chelsie Sakai, Lehua Cristobal, Kathleen Singson, Sean Roche, Nadia Aquias, Vil Balisacan, Logan Kennard, Jason Salvador, Megan Shimamoto, Lili Alfonso, Renee Spears, Damien Ventura, Randon Valenciano, Craig Arzadon, and Ted Zamora participated in a week-long training IAAO 101 course earlier in September.

###