Senator Cecile Bledsoe (from left), Glenn “Bear” Chaney, Benton County Assessor, and Kalene Thompson, business personal appraiser, explore the new technology in the assessor’s office. The tablet is utilized in the field and features Geographic Information Mapping Systems to assist assessors. This technology allows parcels and property to be clearly defined on a mapping database.
Benton County Assessor’s office goes hi-tech
the growth in the state 10 years ago and came out of the recession leading the pack as well. “We’ve had a lot of growth that began in 2010 and early 2011,” said Glenn “Bear” Chaney, Benton County Assessor, who has been an ap- praiser for 20 years. Senator Cecile Bledsoe quickly pointed out all
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the additions to the square in downtown Ben- tonville and the realization of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art founded by Alice Walton that officially opened on Nov. 11, 2011. Te assessor’s office has 64 employees, down
from 79 a couple of years ago, and Chaney praised all of them for the improved perfor- mance of his office. He began describing the fairly new efforts in the business personal property department that began in January 2012. “We have two teams that go into the field,”
Chaney said. “We’re still learning and experi- encing this process. Our four certified apprais- ers go assess inventory, fixtures, furniture by actually going into the business and working with the owners.” Since this effort began in January, Chaney said there has been an increased value in assess- ments in business personal property to the tune of about $10 million. “We’re showing a lot of improvement in as-
sessed values in this arena,” Chaney said. Another assessor’s office tool to more accu- rately assess property is Global Information Sys- tems (GIS). “Our GIS or mapping department has been
COUNTY LINES, WINTER 2013
onversations about Benton County usually begin with the economic prowess of the market. Te region led
Benton County Courthouse 215 E. Central, Bentonville, AR
very instrumental in the function of the office,” Chaney said. “Very instrumental in the business personal property effort as well.” Benton County is on five-year reappraisal
cycle, and is currently measuring all buildings in the county. “When assessing properties, it has a lot to do with the condition of the property,” Chaney said. “We’re not out to raise revenue. We’re re- quired by law to properly assess the property.” In 2012, there were 155,117 parcels assessed
in Benton County. Te growth is evident in the assessed values. Total assessments certified by the assessor’s office increased $928,214,577 from 2005 to 2012. In 2012 there was more
than $4.3 billion in total assessments in Benton County. In 2000, that number was only about $1.8 billion.
“I was pleasantly surprised at the new technol- ogy used in Bear Chaney’s position of Benton County Assessor,” Bledsoe said. “Tey are here to make sure the assessments are accurate. People need to know how the county makes it easier.” Chaney began his second term in January. Te next step in the taxation process, once
property has been valuated, is to collect the proper tax revenue.
See “Tax Collector” Next Page >>> 23
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