2021 Distinguished Assessment Jurisdiction Award Ottawa County MAA Webmaster / Tuesday, September 1, 2020 0 218 Article rating: No rating This award is conferred on a state, county, or local assessment agency that has instituted a technical, procedural, or administrative program which is, for the affected jurisdiction, an improvement over prior programs, and which is generally recognized as a component of model assessment system and a contributing factor to equity in property taxation. This award is presented to Ottawa County for their successful completion of a project to reassign description codes in the APEX sketching program. This roject assures that pricing is uniform, codes are uniform, and errors in pricing are less likely. The project which was led by Deputy Director, Brain Busscher, included all of the County’s local units in the re-mapping of codes and even went as far as putting together a presentation for any other unit to benefit from. Read more
2021 Ernest (Ernie) Beren Most Valuable Member Award Shila Kiander MAA Webmaster / Wednesday, September 1, 2021 0 225 Article rating: No rating Shila Kiander has over 30 years in Assessment Administration. She has worked as a local Assessor but has spent the last 15 years as an Equalization Director. She has created and taught over 200 classes for the Michigan Assessors Association, the State Tax Commission and Michigan Townships Association. She was instrumental in implementing the new MAA Certified Equalization Specialist (CES) and Certified Instructor Professional (CIP) designations. Shila almost never says no and we wonder if she requires sleep at all. As a mentor to others, Shila actually makes assessing seem a little bit fun! This year, we recognize and honor Shila Kiander as the Most Valuable Member of the Michigan Assessors Association. Read more
2021 David Bone Education Award Debby Ring MAA Webmaster / Wednesday, September 1, 2021 0 191 Article rating: No rating The Education Award is presented to the person who has contributed the most in the field of education as related to assessment administration. This year we recognize the contributions of Debby Ring. Debby has logged numerous hours in this endeavor. She has taught many classes over her career and continues to serve the Assessing community after retirement. She has served as the MAA’s Education Curriculum Coordinator but does not hesitate to step up to do anything the association has asked her to do, whether part of her job or not. Read more
2021 Michigan Property Tax Achievement Award Christine Kuhn for City of Woodhaven & Luanne Kooiman for Kinross and Rudyard Townships MAA Webmaster / Wednesday, September 1, 2021 0 235 Article rating: No rating We all take on a new assessing unit with the goal of improving data and procedures. But these two individuals went the extra mile to confer with others to make sure they were doing the best that could be done. They asked for assistance from the State Tax Commission on a frequent basis. Asking for help isn’t always easy, you have to admit that you don’t know everything. These two not only did not have an issue with seeking counsel but their communities are in better shape for it. Read more
2021 President's Distinguished Service Award Elizabeth Tobias, Ruth Scott & Peggy Nolde MAA Webmaster / Wednesday, September 1, 2021 0 205 Article rating: No rating Each year certain individuals stand out in the view of the President. This could be for going above and beyond the call of duty, being an exemplary leader or just being someone that the president could always count on for support. This year Liz Tobias is recognized for her hard work leading the Membership Committee, Ruth Scott for always being helpful and Peggy Nolde for leading by example. Read more