Using GIS to Create, Visualize, Maintain, and Improve Special District
Today’s Topics Who?
Boulder County, Colorado Assessor’s Office
What?
The Assessor’s Office’s role related to Special Districts
Why?
Why does Special District tracking matter to our communities?
How?
How do we use GIS to track a Special District life-cycle? » Accurate distribution of revenue to districts » Maintenance and improvement of special district GIS data » Sharing Special District data with our users » Challenges/real-life examples » Future goals/enhancements
What is a Special District in Colorado? Colorado Revised Statutes provide for the creation of a local governmental entity called a special district
What is a Special District in Colorado? Colorado Revised Statutes provide for the creation of a local governmental entity called a special district Primary revenue for many Special Districts is directly tied to ad valorem taxationàmeaning based on the value of real and/or personal property
What is a Special District in Colorado? Colorado Revised Statutes provide for the creation of a local governmental entity called a special district Primary revenue for many Special Districts is directly tied to ad valorem taxationàmeaning based on the value of real and/or personal property Examples of Special Districts in Colorado include: Water and Sanitation Districts School Districts Fire Districts Park and Recreation Districts Library Districts Metropolitan Districts, Legal Towns and Cities
Real life example On a residential property worth $200,000 in Longmont: Based on these Special Districts and mill levies: Special District
Assessed Value x Mill Levy
= Taxes
Boulder County School Dist RE-1J City of Longmont Northern Colorado Water St Vrain Lefthand Water Regional Transportation Dist
$15,920 $15,920 $15,920 $15,920 $15,920 $15,920
x 24.645 x 47.614 x 13.420 x 1.0 x 0.184 x0
$392.35 $758.02 $213.65 $15.92 $2.93 $0
Total Mill Levy
Total Taxes
86.863
$1,382.88
Examples of Diverse Colorado Special Districts Improving the Quality of our Lives
Mass Transit Improvement District
Scientific & Cultural Facilities District
Metropolitan Football Stadium District
Moffat Tunnel Improvement District
!!!
Disclaimer:
!!!
There are districts that are not tied to ad valorem property taxation: – They may be fee-based / flat-fee special assessments – The fee is based on factors other than property value – Colorado Assessor’s Offices do not normally track this type of fee-based district – Examples: Public Health Mosquito Fee, Sewer and Weed Fees
Goal: Every real and personal property account should be listed in the correct combination of special districts. J Sounds easy enough? J
Source for our Research: Recorded Documents
“The Wall of Tax District Folders”
Tradeoffs: Which Project Plan?
Detailed Research
Derived Data “Express Version”
Tradeoffs: Which Project Plan?
Detailed Research
Derived Data “Express Version”
ü Staff research all relevant source documents related to each district ü Staff create polygons and attributes corresponding to each recorded document ü Benefits: Output is based on source documents ü Drawbacks: Time-consuming
Tradeoffs: Which Project Plan?
Detailed Research
Derived Data “Express Version”
ü Staff research all relevant source documents related to each district ü Staff create polygons and attributes corresponding to each recorded document ü Benefits: Output is based on source documents ü Drawbacks: Time-consuming
ü Staff query CAMA database to determine which parcels are currently taxed in each district ü Staff create polygons and attributes corresponding to what is currently in CAMA ü Benefits: Faster ü Drawbacks: May perpetuate existing errors
Tradeoffs: Which Project Plan?
Detailed Research
Derived Data “Express Version”
This is our Goal!
This is where we are at!
Important: Clear documentation of the business process Training of staff Edit Checks—comparing GIS layers to CAMA database Improving Quality of GIS layers and data over time
Geodatabase Example: Capturing Special District Polygons 1. Start with Tax Area Geodatabase Template
2. Create Geodatabase for each District
3. Create and Attribute Polygons in relevant Feature Class
Important: One document always corresponds to one row/one polygon
Geodatabase Example: Capturing Special District Polygons
Geodatabase Example: Capturing Special District Polygons
Consolidating Like-Themed Tax Areas 1. Copy the Summary feature class for each district’s geodatabase
2. Use the Append Tool to consolidate similarly themed districts’ Summary feature classes into a logical grouping
3. One row in each consolidated feature class = one district
Note: Source is either detailed research OR express version
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata
Making the Data Available to Others
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata
Making the Data Available to Others
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata ü Summarize business process used to capture data
Making the Data Available to Others
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata ü Summarize business process used to capture data ü Describe acronyms used in data fields
Making the Data Available to Others
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata ü Summarize business process used to capture data ü Describe acronyms used in data fields ü Include source date and contact information
Making the Data Available to Others
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata ü Summarize business process used to capture data ü Describe acronyms used in data fields ü Include source date and contact information ü Include use limitations*
Making the Data Available to Others
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata ü Summarize business process used to capture data ü Describe acronyms used in data fields ü Include source date and contact information ü Include use limitations* ü Include intended maintenance schedule
Making the Data Available to Others
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata ü Summarize business process used to capture data ü Describe acronyms used in data fields ü Include source date and contact information ü Include use limitations* ü Include intended maintenance schedule
Making the Data Available to Others ü Our published Special District layers now live on shared county SDE server
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata ü Summarize business process used to capture data ü Describe acronyms used in data fields ü Include source date and contact information ü Include use limitations* ü Include intended maintenance schedule
Making the Data Available to Others ü Our published Special District layers now live on shared county SDE server ü Work with Special Districts themselves to share data and improve over time
Real Life Example/Challenges
Real Life Example/Challenges
Real Life Example/Challenges
Real Life Example/Challenges
Real Life Example/Challenges
Boulder County, Colorado Assessor’s Office
What?
The Assessor’s Office’s role related to Special Districts
Why?
Why does Special District tracking matter to our communities?
How?
How do we use GIS to track a Special District life-cycle? » Accurate distribution of revenue to districts » Maintenance and improvement of special district GIS data » Sharing Special District data with our users » Challenges/real-life examples » Future goals/enhancements
What is a Special District in Colorado? Colorado Revised Statutes provide for the creation of a local governmental entity called a special district
What is a Special District in Colorado? Colorado Revised Statutes provide for the creation of a local governmental entity called a special district Primary revenue for many Special Districts is directly tied to ad valorem taxationàmeaning based on the value of real and/or personal property
What is a Special District in Colorado? Colorado Revised Statutes provide for the creation of a local governmental entity called a special district Primary revenue for many Special Districts is directly tied to ad valorem taxationàmeaning based on the value of real and/or personal property Examples of Special Districts in Colorado include: Water and Sanitation Districts School Districts Fire Districts Park and Recreation Districts Library Districts Metropolitan Districts, Legal Towns and Cities
Real life example On a residential property worth $200,000 in Longmont: Based on these Special Districts and mill levies: Special District
Assessed Value x Mill Levy
= Taxes
Boulder County School Dist RE-1J City of Longmont Northern Colorado Water St Vrain Lefthand Water Regional Transportation Dist
$15,920 $15,920 $15,920 $15,920 $15,920 $15,920
x 24.645 x 47.614 x 13.420 x 1.0 x 0.184 x0
$392.35 $758.02 $213.65 $15.92 $2.93 $0
Total Mill Levy
Total Taxes
86.863
$1,382.88
Examples of Diverse Colorado Special Districts Improving the Quality of our Lives
Mass Transit Improvement District
Scientific & Cultural Facilities District
Metropolitan Football Stadium District
Moffat Tunnel Improvement District
!!!
Disclaimer:
!!!
There are districts that are not tied to ad valorem property taxation: – They may be fee-based / flat-fee special assessments – The fee is based on factors other than property value – Colorado Assessor’s Offices do not normally track this type of fee-based district – Examples: Public Health Mosquito Fee, Sewer and Weed Fees
Goal: Every real and personal property account should be listed in the correct combination of special districts. J Sounds easy enough? J
Source for our Research: Recorded Documents
“The Wall of Tax District Folders”
Tradeoffs: Which Project Plan?
Detailed Research
Derived Data “Express Version”
Tradeoffs: Which Project Plan?
Detailed Research
Derived Data “Express Version”
ü Staff research all relevant source documents related to each district ü Staff create polygons and attributes corresponding to each recorded document ü Benefits: Output is based on source documents ü Drawbacks: Time-consuming
Tradeoffs: Which Project Plan?
Detailed Research
Derived Data “Express Version”
ü Staff research all relevant source documents related to each district ü Staff create polygons and attributes corresponding to each recorded document ü Benefits: Output is based on source documents ü Drawbacks: Time-consuming
ü Staff query CAMA database to determine which parcels are currently taxed in each district ü Staff create polygons and attributes corresponding to what is currently in CAMA ü Benefits: Faster ü Drawbacks: May perpetuate existing errors
Tradeoffs: Which Project Plan?
Detailed Research
Derived Data “Express Version”
This is our Goal!
This is where we are at!
Important: Clear documentation of the business process Training of staff Edit Checks—comparing GIS layers to CAMA database Improving Quality of GIS layers and data over time
Geodatabase Example: Capturing Special District Polygons 1. Start with Tax Area Geodatabase Template
2. Create Geodatabase for each District
3. Create and Attribute Polygons in relevant Feature Class
Important: One document always corresponds to one row/one polygon
Geodatabase Example: Capturing Special District Polygons
Geodatabase Example: Capturing Special District Polygons
Consolidating Like-Themed Tax Areas 1. Copy the Summary feature class for each district’s geodatabase
2. Use the Append Tool to consolidate similarly themed districts’ Summary feature classes into a logical grouping
3. One row in each consolidated feature class = one district
Note: Source is either detailed research OR express version
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata
Making the Data Available to Others
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata
Making the Data Available to Others
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata ü Summarize business process used to capture data
Making the Data Available to Others
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata ü Summarize business process used to capture data ü Describe acronyms used in data fields
Making the Data Available to Others
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata ü Summarize business process used to capture data ü Describe acronyms used in data fields ü Include source date and contact information
Making the Data Available to Others
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata ü Summarize business process used to capture data ü Describe acronyms used in data fields ü Include source date and contact information ü Include use limitations*
Making the Data Available to Others
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata ü Summarize business process used to capture data ü Describe acronyms used in data fields ü Include source date and contact information ü Include use limitations* ü Include intended maintenance schedule
Making the Data Available to Others
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata ü Summarize business process used to capture data ü Describe acronyms used in data fields ü Include source date and contact information ü Include use limitations* ü Include intended maintenance schedule
Making the Data Available to Others ü Our published Special District layers now live on shared county SDE server
Lessons Learned? Creating Metadata ü Include Tags so the GIS data is searchable by metadata ü Summarize business process used to capture data ü Describe acronyms used in data fields ü Include source date and contact information ü Include use limitations* ü Include intended maintenance schedule
Making the Data Available to Others ü Our published Special District layers now live on shared county SDE server ü Work with Special Districts themselves to share data and improve over time
Real Life Example/Challenges
Real Life Example/Challenges
Real Life Example/Challenges
Real Life Example/Challenges
Real Life Example/Challenges
