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Sunday, June 15, 2025
Education>MAA School

Education Session

Education Committee

Ashley Larrison, Chair
989-255-4747
Email the Committee Chair
Linda Stevenson, Co-Chair
734-255-1589
Email the Committee Co-Chair
 

On-line Registration

With on-line registration, participants can use a credit card to pay for their course.  On-line registration ensures that you are registered and guaranteed a seat in the class.
* We accept all major credit cards.

MAA Members receive a significant savings in education and conference costs.  If you are not currently an MAA Member, consider joining now, before you register for a class, and save some money.  The cost of a one-year membership is only $95.00 and that's less than the additional fee to register as a non-member.


Educational Videos

Annual Summer Conference
 

Durk Ashley and Mark Mullet
Memorial Scholarship Funds

The purpose of these two funds is to assist Michigan Assessors Association (MAA) members whose employers provide no funding for education and who are financially burdened to self-fund educational opportunities.  The funding for these scholarships is made available by the Executive Board of the Michigan Assessors Association and private donations to provide greater opportunities for members to attend educational courses and seminars.  The funding is awarded to any MAA member who demonstrates a financial need, and intends to use the funds to complete an educational activity.

Scholarship Application
 
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2025 Education Program

August 20 - 22, 2025

 
Treetops Resort
3962 Wilkinson Road, Gaylord, MI 49735
Group Reservation Line
1-8855-261-8764
Group Name: MAA Education Services Fall 2025
*Blocked room reservations available until July 18, 2025

 

Registration deadline for all classes is 5:00 pm August 10th, 2025

LATE REGISTRATIONS OR REGISTRATIONS NOT ACCOMPANIED WITH
FULL PAYMENT OR A P.O. NUMBER WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
PURCHASE ORDERS MUST BE PAID IN FULL PRIOR TO CLASS ATTENDANCE.

Member On-line Registration      Non-Member On-line Registration     

Print Class Brochure       TreeTops Reservations
 
Cancellation/Transfer/Substitution Policy

 

 

Course Content & Descriptions

Registration open through August 10th, 2025

 

 

Wednesday Classes 

ALPHABET SOUP: THE INCOME APPROACH UNRAVELED (Non-Tested)

ALPHABET SOUP: THE INCOME APPROACH UNRAVELED
Instructor: David Rice MMAO/4
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 8:00am-5:00pm

Course Description – The seminar begins with an overview of the income approach one of three approaches to value, its advantages and disadvantages and how assessors and appraisers can successfully apply it. The definition of the income approach is explored and dissected together with the economic principles that underlie it. Standards rule 1-3 in USPAP and its importance in properly developing the income approach is highlighted. Participants will learn how to develop potential gross rental income, vacancy, operating expense analysis and net operating income estimates. Sources and data gathering techniques are identified. The process of developing net operating income into value via basic capitalization processes are highlighted with emphasis on rate development from direct capitalization methods. The seminar is organized around case studies with problems solved by participants. Real market examples are used throughout the seminar. Current issues around the income approach are discussed.


8 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

A BRIEF LOOK AT PROPERTY TAX PRORATIONS (Non-Tested)

A BRIEF LOOK AT PROPERTY TAX PRORATIONS
Instructor: Joseph Turner MMAO/4
Wednesday August 20, 2025 1:00pm-5:00pm

Course Description – This course is designed to introduce assessment administrators to current methods of tax proration commonly used by title companies, real estate agents and others. It is an abbreviated version of STC approved courses from 2017 and 2023. The course was developed from questions assessing personnel and the Michigan Department of Treasury have encountered. It has been guided by the language of statutes, A.G. opinions, court decisions, writings of legal scholars and communications of Mr. Timothy Schnell of the Michigan Dept. Of Treasury. This is an in person, four (4) credit hour course. An overall objective of the course is to provide references for students based upon court decisions, statutory citations and common practices that vary by geographic location across the state. Another objective is to help students refer inquiries to appropriate sources. One further goal is to introduce students to mathematics, millage rates, fiscal years and other processes relevant to prorating property tax levies, either by statute or mutual agreement.


4 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

LET’S CALCULATE A SPECIAL ASSESSMENT (Non-Tested)

LET’S CALCULATE A SPECIAL ASSESSMENT
Instructors: Joseph Turner MMAO/4
Wednesday August 20, 2025 8:00am-12:00pm

Course Description – This course is designed to introduce assessment administrators to historical and current methods of apportioning a special assessment. The course is planned as a one day, in person, four (4) credit hour course. The course focuses upon a series of class exercises. The exercises are solved using guidance from the following: judicial decisions, class discussions of practicing assessors, guidance from state of Michigan publications and reference to academic research in applicable areas. Determinations of “Benefit” as applied to the special assessment process will require students to follow guidance within Public Act 188 (used by many townships) and PA 246 (used by County Road Commission) and a municipal special assessment ordinance. Students will decide which rules create the most reasonable method of apportionment in various situations. The class introduction will include a short review of historically important cases which have led to contemporary special assessment apportionment methods. They’ll be introduced three relevant government functions: Legislative, Ministerial and Judicial. They’ll view assessor obligations per M.C.L. 211.116 - .119 inclusive and state Attorney General Opinions. Before beginning any apportionment, students will be introduced to concepts designed to foster a “best practices” approach. That will include practical examples from the SAB Manual, the legal community’s use of IRAC (reviewing the Issue and appropriate Rules, Analyzing how those apply to the current assessment and Concluding the most reasonable and fair apportionment method. They’ll be introduced to Supreme Court decisions banning fixed percentages. Their final apportionments will be tested for reasonableness based upon the most recent court guidelines for a ratio of “benefit” to amount specially assessed. The Rules component will include a discussion of known guidelines for a presumption of validity, the level of evidence needed to support appeals and recognition of three types of evidence: Legal, Economic and Scientific.


4 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

MYSTERY OF NET GIS & QGIS WORKSHOP (Non-Tested)

MYSTERY OF NET GIS & QGIS WORKSHOP
Instructors: Tina Fuller MAAO/3
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 1:00pm-5:00pm

Course Description – This workshop will assist in the installation and use of NET GIS. Among other things, you will learn how to; identify parcels within x feet of subject parcels; display a wide range of fields on a map; use maps to set data fields; include blocked and marked data on a map; use GIS map routes for field inspections done in conjunction with sales and permits, or on parcels in general. QGIS is a free GIS mapping program - we will teach how to set up the "live" aerial maps and parcel shape files necessary to confirm location of buildings and other improvements for use during field inspections and record information.

*Bring a laptop with parcel shape files available. We will install QGIS during the workshop.


4 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

BASIC EXCEL FOR ASSESSORS (Non-Tested)

BASIC EXCEL FOR ASSESSORS
Instructors: Shila Kiander MAAO/3
Wednesday August 20, 2025 8:00am-12:00pm and 1:00pm-5:00pm (2 sessions of the same class)

Course Description – This hands-on course is tailored for Michigan assessors who are new to Microsoft Excel and want to build a solid foundation in spreadsheet skills. Participants will learn how to create, format, and organize spreadsheets, perform basic calculations, and begin analyzing assessment-related data. The course focuses on essential Excel functions commonly used in assessment work, providing practical tools to support daily tasks. No prior Excel experience is required—perfect for assessors looking to go from beginner to confident user.

*Laptop with Excel required for this class.


4 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 25 Students

IS THERE A BETTER WAY? Tips, tricks, things you can fix (Non-Tested)

IS THERE A BETTER WAY? Tips, tricks, things you can fix
Instructors: Jason Rosenzweig MAAO/3 & Jeff Miller MMAO/4
Wednesday August 20, 2025 8:00pm-12:00pm

Course Description – This four-hour seminar focuses on best practices throughout the assessment cycle with a focus on the residential cost manual and how it should be utilized for correct and uniform assessments.


4 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

ONE GOAL, ONE ROLL: PARTNERING FOR EQUALIZATION ACCURACY (Non-Tested)

Land Divisions
Instructor: Mellissa Hayduk MMAO/4
Wednesday August 20, 2025 1:00am-5:00pm

Course Description – Achieving fair and equitable assessments requires seamless collaboration between local assessors and county equalization. This course explores practical strategies for aligning processes, improving communication, and ensuring accurate data for equalization. Participants will gain insights into common challenges, key roles, and best practices that foster mutual understanding and accountability. Whether you’re new to the field or seeking to strengthen your partnerships, this course provides tools to help you meet the shared goal of roll accuracy.


4 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

STATISTICS FOR ASSESSORS (Non-Tested)

STATISTICS FOR ASSESSORS
Instructor: Anthony Meyaard MMAO/4
Wednesday August 20, 2025 8:00am-12:00pm

Course Description – This class will show attendees how using other statistical tools such as coefficient of dispersion (COD), coefficient of variation (COV) and price related differential (PRD) further allow us to test how uniform or predictable the values that we determine are.


4 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

 

Thursday Classes 

MICHIGAN APARTMENT MARKETS AND VALUATION ISSUES (Non-Tested)

MICHIGAN APARTMENT MARKETS AND VALUATION ISSUES
Instructors: David Rice MMAO/4
Thursday, August 21, 2025 9:00am-5:00pm

Course Description – This seven-hour seminar provides continuing education for Michigan appraisers and assessors. Types of apartments including building types, rent levels, qualitative characteristics (A, B and C) are reviewed. Conditions in the national apartment market including supply, median rents, vacancy levels and constructions levels are illustrated. The state of major Michigan apartment markets including historical vacancy levels, historical and forecast construction and recent sales is reviewed. Valuation issues including deferred maintenance, atypical vacancy issues and functional obsolescence are explored. Valuation issues in the income approach including operating expense ratios, reserves for replacement and the development of capitalization rates are discussed. A case study on a non-stabilized apartment property is discussed to demonstrate proper techniques.

*A background in the application of the income approach and familiarity with the operation of a financial calculator (HP12C or equivalent) is recommended.


7 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

TRANSFERS OF OWNERSHIP Implementation and Administration (Non-Tested)

TRANSFERS OF OWNERSHIP Implementation and Administration
Instructors: Shila Kiander MAAO/3 & Emily Selph MMAO/4
Thursday August 21, 2025 9:00am-4:00pm

Course Description – The local assessor is responsible for the implementation and administration of the Transfer of Ownership statute. Assessors must understand the statute and chain of title to make accurate and consistent decisions. Assessors need to manage the documents and forms as well as process them in the CAMA system. This class will use the STC Transfer of Ownership guidelines and STC bulletins to cover what is and what is not a transfer of ownership. Best practices including data processing and managing documents/forms will be covered.


6 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

QGIS WEB MAP SETS & PUBLISHING (Non-Tested)

QGIS WEB MAP SETS & PUBLISHING
Instructors: Tina Fuller MAAO/3
Thursday, August 21, 2025 8:00am-5:00pm

Course Description – The Cloud is a way to publish your desktop QGIS maps to the internet as a web map. As a spatial data infrastructure (SDI) on the internet, QGIS and Cloud provide all of the following:

  • Publish web maps on the internet>
  • Manage data through the cloud
  • Share information and print maps

The Cloud enables you to publish maps and data on the internet without the need to own your own server.
This workshop will take students through the steps of using QGIS, merging data from BSA.Net to build professional maps and publish them to the cloud through QGIS Desktop.  Participants will need to have a laptop with QGIS installed, BSA.net and map shape files.

 


8 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

LAND VALUES AND ECF DATABASE ADMINISTRATION (Non-Tested)

LAND VALUES AND ECF DATABASE ADMINISTRATION
Instructor: Anthony Meyaard MMAO/4 & Joseph Van Hassel MMAO/4
Thursday August 21, 2025 9:00am-4:00pm

Course Description – The goal of the class is to show participants how to analyze existing land value and ECF table structures within BS&A; to help them be more successful in passing PA 660 audits. This class will be a hands-on interactive class utilizing BS&A Assessing.net software to walk through dissecting the land table and ECF table structure within the participant’s database. Participants will work from their own database while being guided through creating custom exports to determine what land value and ECF rates are or are not be used, utilizing GIS to analyze sale data, run and analyze land value and ECF grids from BS&A.

*This is a workshop where students will be required to bring a laptop that has BSA Assessing.Net installed and have an active database loaded.


6 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 25 Students

SMALL CLAIM APPEAL, WHAT DO I DO NOW? (Non-Tested)

SMALL CLAIM APPEAL, WHAT DO I DO NOW?
Instructor: Heather Stewart MAAO/3
Thursday August 21, 2025 8:00am-12:00pm

Course Description – Following March Board of Review, is a great time to start preparing for possible taxpayer appeals to the Michigan Tax Tribunal or to the State Tax Commission. How do I answer an appeal? What forms do I need to file? What items should I include to defend my opinion of value or my determination of classification? This course is designed for assessors to gain an understanding of what to expect when they receive an appeal and what steps to take after.


4 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

BS&A TIPS & TRICKS CLOUD (Non-Tested)

BS&A TIPS & TRICKS CLOUD
Instructors: Kelly Crull
Thursday, August 21, 2025 1:00pm-5:00pm

Course Description – This four-hour course will introduce users to the new BS&A Cloud Platform. In addition to outlining the significant technological and security enhancements, we will delve into those features designed specifically to make your CAMA experience more accessible, efficient, and enjoyable.


4 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

 

Friday Classes 

BS&A TIPS & TRICKS .NET (Non-Tested)

BS&A TIPS & TRICKS .NET
Instructors: Kelly Crull
Friday, August 22, 2025 8:00am-12:00pm

Course Description – This "Tips & Tricks" class aims to help users leverage the power of their software through shortcuts, advanced features, and techniques to improve efficiency and productivity. The class focuses on practical knowledge, beyond basic functionality, to help users get the most out of their assessing system.


4 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

OBSOLESCENCE IN MASS APPRAISAL APPLICATIONS (Non-Tested)

OBSOLESCENCE IN MASS APPRAISAL APPLICATIONS
Instructors: Sharon Frischman MMAO/4
Friday, August 22, 2025 8:00am-12:00pm

Course Description – Identify and apply obsolescence for all types of property (residential, commercial and industrial) in a mass appraisal model.


4 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

AGRICULTURAL ROUNDTABLE (Non-Tested)

AGRICULTURAL ROUNDTABLE
Instructors: Shila Kiander MAAO/3 & Brian Busscher MMAO/4
Friday, August 22, 2025 8:00pm-12:00pm

Course Description – Most assessors agree that the assessment administration of agricultural properties can be aggravating. Assessors agonize over classification, qualified agricultural exemptions and transfer of ownership. Join us for this workshop style class where the attendees will discuss actual scenarios that assessors have to deal with on a regular basis. The reference material used for discussion will be the General Property Tax Act, STC Bulletins and STC Publications.

*Attendees, you are encouraged to bring examples of Ag related situations that you have struggled with so we can work through them together during the class.


4 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

2025 HOT TOPICS (Non-Tested)

2025 HOT TOPICS
Instructor: Mellissa Hayduk MMAO/4 & Heather Stewart MAAO/3
Friday August 22, 2025 8:00am-12:00pm

Course Description – This combined 4 hour course, covers 2 different topics. The First 2-hours is designed to help Michigan assessors optimize their workflow using the Property Tax Calendar as the foundation. Learn how to implement digital organization strategies, establish repeatable procedures, and use tools to track deadlines and manage communication. Participants will walk away with templates, software recommendations, and practical tips to stay on top of tasks year after year. The Second 2-hours will cover the Disabled Veterans Exemption.


4 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

CONDO VALUATION (Non-Tested)

CONDO VALUATION
Instructor: Shalice Northrup MMAO/4 & Dulcee Ranta MMAO/4
Friday August 22, 2025 8:00am-12:00pm

Course Description – This 4 hour course will help determine the different types of condominium’s and best practices in how to value each. We will look at master deeds for condominium complexes and evaluate which information is needed and determine what constitutes a common area and how they are valued.


4 Hours of Continued Education Credit
Limit 45 Students

 

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