Assessment Practices Survey Report Released for Imperial County

Claude Parrish, Member, State Board of Equalization (BOE), announced today the release of an assessment practices survey report on Imperial County.

Once every five years the BOE conducts a review of each county's property tax assessment functions to determine whether properties are being assessed properly and to identify areas where improvements should be made. Issued as an "Assessment Practices Survey," the report provides an overview of how the assessor performs his duties and includes recommendations to correct assessment deficiencies and improve compliance with state law.

The BOE found that most properties in Imperial County are being assessed properly, and the overall quality of the assessment roll meets all the required standards by the state to qualify for augmentation funds. However, the report provides 19 recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the assessor's operations. They include:

• Correct the procedures for processing disaster relief claims.
• Annually review all properties that have experienced a decline in value.
• Complete the mandatory audits required by section 469 of the Revenue and Taxation Code.

The review focused on the quality of the 2000-2001 Imperial County assessment roll, which contained 76,469 assessments having a total enrolled value of $5.788 billion.

Note: A copy of the Imperial County Assessment Practices Survey Report is available upon request.

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