County Assessor

Salary: $97,718.40 - $131,934.40 Annually
Location : Pipestone, MN
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 25-005
Department: Assessor
Opening Date: 04/22/2025
Closing Date: 5/31/2025 11:59 PM Central

Job Posting
Pipestone County is seeking a County Assessor. The County Assessor plans, directs, and coordinates the activities of the Assessor's Office. The County Board of Commissioners appoints the County Assessor to serve a four-year term of office. There are no term limits for the County Assessor who may be reappointed by the Board to serve additional terms of office.
POSITION: County Assessor
DEPARTMENT: County Assessor
CLASSIFICATION: Salaried department head position included in County Personnel Policy and Classification Pay Plan. FLSA exempt.
NATURE OF WORK:

Position involves administrative and supervisory responsibilities in the interpretation and implementation of Minnesota tax laws. Duties include the valuation, classification and equalization of taxable/exempt real and personal property, verification of various applications made to the County regarding the property tax system, compilation of various mandated reports, and supervision of support staff. Work is performed within legislated guidelines under the general supervision of the County Board/Department of Revenue and is reviewed and evaluated in progress and/or upon observation of results.
AUTHORITY:

Appointed by County Board for period of four years with approval of Commissioner of Revenue. Position is subject to a six month probationary period, pre-employment criminal background check and driving record check.
LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS:

Senior accredited designation by State Board of Assessors. Continuing education hours to maintain Senior Accredited Minnesota Assessor (SAMA) certification.
RELATIONSHIPS:

Reports to County Board and State Department of Revenue as necessary/required.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

High School diploma or GED plus a Vocational/technical diploma or Associate's degree in Real Estate, Administration, Accounting, or related field required, with a minimum of three years of relevant work experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience deemed acceptable by Pipestone County. Bachelor's degree preferred. Supervisory experience preferred. Must possess current certification as an Accredited Minnesota Assessor by the Minnesota State Board of Assessors and meet the requirements for achieving Senior Accreditation as set forth in Minnesota Statute 273.061.

Must possess a valid Driver's License.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ANILITY INCLUDE:

• Able to interpret complex regulations and policies and to make independent decisions under stressful situations.
• Able to supervise and direct the work of others.
• Knowledge of basic accounting principles and the ability to apply them;
• Mathematical and statistical analysis education and experience (functions, ratios, formulas)
• Able to interpret, explain, and communicate technical data on assessing and the property valuation process.
• Able to communicate effectively in both verbal and written form.
• Knowledge of Computer Aided Mass Appraisal (CAMA) software required; and ESRI products desirable;
• Considerable knowledge of computer applications; including financial spreadsheet and word processing applications. Proficient in Microsoft Office products.
• Fluent in interpreting legal descriptions and mapping them out;
• Impartial, detail-oriented, dependable. Ability to respect and maintain client confidentiality.
• Effective organizational and public relations skills.
• Able to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of officials, organizations, coworkers, and the general public.

SPECIFIC DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES: Includes, but not limited to the following:

Essential Duties:

Managerial:

• Supervises work of local assessors through instruction in proper classification of real and personal property, in the determination of proper standards of value, classification and changes in legislation. Reviews/adjusts local assessors' work to attain a uniform assessment.
• Supervises support staff. Provides departmental employee training and development, conducts performance evaluations, manages employee concerns; plans and assigns work, and counsels/disciplines employees, when necessary, prepares hiring/firing recommendations.
• Supervises and assists the Deputy Assessor in the research of recorded real estate documents to determine accurate legal property descriptions for GIS parcel map maintenance and serves as a resource for communicating such information to other internal departments and the general public.
• Prepares annual departmental budget.
• Prepares correspondence and reports to county and state agencies as required.

Appraisal and Valuation:

• Determines proper classification for property according to statutes. Interprets statutes regarding unique classifications.
• Reviews all land transactions and title changes, including combinations and splits, ensuring accuracy of information with Auditor's Office and clarifying legal descriptions of property.
• Develops land value, building value and depreciation schedules for the purpose of equalizing property values of various classes within the county.
• Reviews and authenticates information from certificates of real estate value on all sales within county to be used in sales ratio studies. Confers with adjacent counties to uniformly assess and equalize values of similar properties and classes of properties. Prepares annual sales ratio studies in order to analyze values.
• Views and determines the value of any property which because of its type or character may be difficult for the local assessor to appraise.
• Investigates information regarding various reductions of valuation, abatements, and various assessor-related applications. Submits reports to County Board/Department of Revenue as required. Represents county in tax court by assisting in the preparation of cases and providing testimony.
• Review complaints concerning assessments; confer with property owners, tenants, realtors, bankers, and lawyers to interpret laws and regulations and to attempt to resolve disputes.
• Maintains accurate records of property assessments on the Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) software and in field books.
• Inspects and appraises grain elevators and complex commercial, industrial and residential properties; assists staff and local assessors with the assessment of unique or special purpose properties.

Public Relations:

• Performs public relations work in all phases relating to the County Assessor position (i.e. speaking engagements to various public groups, providing information and material to the press). May testify at legislative hearings.
• Schedules and attends local board of review and county and state boards of equalization. Furnishes all necessary comparisons and data, records any changes as required, and insures legality of actions.
• Provides technical assistance regarding assessment matters to County Board, other county officials, agencies, institutions, and the public. Interprets tax system, supplies tax estimates, property values, and property locations and measurements. Provides assistance/information as to best use of tax system to customer's advantage.

Education:

• Attends local, regional and state meetings to keep updated in the assessment field.
• Attends schools and workshops in order to obtain the required educational hours needed to maintain proper certification.

Additional Duties:

• Observes prescribed health and safety precautions in the performance of all tasks.
• Performs other similar or related duties as necessary as assigned by the County Administrator or the County Board.

Access to Not Public Data The incumbent may encounter not public data in the course of these duties. Any access to not public data should be strictly limited to accessing the data that are necessary to fulfill the employment responsibility. While data are being accessed, incumbent should take reasonable measures to ensure the not public data are not accessed by individuals without a work reason. Once the work reason to access the data is reasonably finished, incumbent must properly store the not public data according to the provisions Ch. 13 Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: In a typical 8 hour day this person sits 6 hours, stands 1 hour, and walks 1 hour. Variations in activities may result in entire days of sitting or walking. Notable physical demands include: (1)occasional bending/stooping, squatting, crouching, pushing/pulling and frequent reaching; (2)occasional carrying/lifting of up to 25 pounds; (3)fine manipulation of both hands; (4)occasional work from mid-thigh to overhead levels with continuous work at waist levels; (5)frequent need to hear normal conversation, seeing with far acuity and full field of vision; (6)continuous need to see with near acuity; (7)frequently works around office equipment. Office work may involve computer work 4-8 hours daily. Appraisal work at property sites involves required physical activity to measure and appraise property. Field assessments may include possible exposure to dust, chemicals, inclement weather, hostile property owners and animals. Position may cause fatigue from computer work in office. Some travel is required.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned this classification. This is not an exhaustive list of all duties performed by personnel so classified.

This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee, and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and the requirements of the job change.
Visit the Pipestone County benefits page for complete details.
01

What is your highest level of education?

• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree/Graduate Degree
• No degree but at least 2 years of recent, related work experience
• None of the above

02

Describe your post-high school education, including area(s) of study, school(s) attended, semester credits completed, and degree(s) earned. If you have not completed any post-high school education, type "None" in the space provided.
03

What best describes your supervisory experience?

• No experience
• Less than 1 year
• 1-3 years
• 4-5 years
• 5+ years

04

How many staff did you supervise?
05

Please briefly describe your supervisory experience, if applicable.
06

Please select the answer that best describes your comprehensive appraisal and/or assessment experience of agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial, and exempt property.

• No experience
• Up to 6 months
• 6 months to a year
• 1-2 years
• 2-3 years
• 3-4 years
• 4-5 years
• 5-6 years
• 6-7 years
• 7-8 years
• 9-10 years
• 10 or more years

07

Please briefly describe the experience you listed in the previous question.
08

Please select the highest level of assessor licensure you hold through the MN State Board of Assessors.

• None
• CMA
• CMA with income qualification
• CMAS
• AMA
• SAMA

09

Please check all designations you currently hold through the Appraisal Institute (AI). Select all that apply.

• None
• MAI
• SRPA
• SRA
• AI-GRS
• AI-RRS
• SREA
• RM

10

Please check all designations you currently hold through the international Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) select all that apply.

• None
• RES
• MAS
• AAS
• PPS
• CMS

11

Do you have experience working with the following: (Please select all with which you have experience)

• Vanguard Appraisal Inc. CAMA Vision Software
• Counties Providing Technology (CPT) Tax Software Packages
• Leading or implementing continuous improvement initiatives such as LEAN, Kaizen, etc.
• Developing or maintaining performance measurements for individuals and/or teams
• None of the above

12

Please briefly describe the experience you listed in the previous question.
13

Do you have a valid driver's license or a reliable means of transportation for the performance of work responsibilities?

• Yes
• No

14

Do you wish to claim Veteran's Preference? Veterans Preference points are awarded to qualified veterans and spouses of disabled/deceased veterans. Points are awarded subject to provisions of M.S. 197.455. You must provide documentation (DD214 and/or VA documents) establishing your right to claim the preference.

• Veteran: As defined in Minn. Stat. 197.447
• Disabled Veteran: Please provide documentation of a USDVA verified disability.
• Spouse of a disabled veteran with a service connected disability rating.
• Spouse of a deceased veteran who died on, or as a result of, an active duty injury.
• Not a Veteran or do not wish to claim a veteran's preference.

15

Is there anything else you want to add that is pertinent to this position?
Required Question