MAA President's Message
July Message
The Michigan Assessors Association Annual Conference is coming up fast and I hope you can join us August 11-14, 2019 at Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville, Michigan. I am very excited about the educational block that our team has put together.
Working on effective communication in our profession is the theme for this year’s conference.
A significant portion of our profession involves explaining the property tax system in Michigan to taxpayers, government leaders and the media. How are we doing? Do property owners clearly understand your explanation? Do your local government officials understand what you do or why you do it? Are we viewed by lawmakers and the media as the experts in this profession?
We will be exploring the reasons why our communication is so important, why we sometimes fail and what are the tools for building our professional networks and bolstering our communication skills. We believe this profession is strengthened when we deliberately improve our communications with our customers, colleagues, government leaders, media and citizens.
Monday afternoon’s communication symposium will focus on professional network development, the legislative process and a discussion panel comprised of legislators, lobbyists and state and local officials who will share their experiences establishing relationships with other public officials and the public. Day two will focus on building your toolbox of communication strategies and understanding why communications don’t always succeed. The third day will feature an update from the Department of Treasury of the latest policy issues and legislation impacting the assessment profession. That is a total of sixteen hours of continuing education, as well as ample opportunities for professional networking and fellowship. Vendors will also be available to display the latest in assessment administration technologies and answer your questions on how they can enhance processes.
I want to thank the conference committee chairpersons, Matthew Raftary and Linda Stevenson, for their hard work and dedication to this organization. We are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Michigan Assessors Association this year. We did not get to this milestone without hard work and dedication of professionals like Matt and Linda, both Past Presidents of MAA who continue to provide us with expertise and knowledge.
See you at Conference!
Paula Jastifer, President