PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

TIM BULGER, SAMA CITY OF BLOOMINGTON MAAO PRESIDENT

Greetings MAAO members,

I wanted to use my first article as an opportunity to offer a glimpse into the inner workings of MAAO. I’ll be the first to admit it took a good 4 or 5 years into my career before I understood how the organization was structured, and I was even on a committee for a few of those years. We often preach to get involved with the organization, but some people don’t know what that looks like or what time commitment it might require. The thought of attending formal meetings and taking on additional duties can be daunting. While there are additional ways to get involved, like teaching courses or grading form reports, I’ll focus on the three main avenues: Committees, Regional leadership, and Executive Officers. My hope is to inform and reach potential future leaders in MAAO – the quality of our organization drives the quality of our work and the public’s trust in our profession.

Committees

A lengthy article could be written about the various Committees in our organization and their purpose, but you’re probably best served to look at the Committee Members or Committee Chair page on our website and reaching out to someone involved. These groups all differ in number of meetings per year, in-person or virtual meetings, level of commitment expected, and accomplishments. Joining a committee that interests you is a great way to get your foot in the door and make a difference in our profession. Only the Committee Chairs attend Executive Board meetings where they give a brief report about the ongoings of their committee.

Regional Leadership

The Region Directors of our nine regions are voting members at Executive Board meetings. The structure of leadership can vary by region along with frequency of meetings, topics discussed, costs to members, etc. This can be a great way to get your foot in the door in a leadership position when openings are available. Outside of their respective regional duties, the Region Director has a minimal time commitment to the organization. They give reports at our meetings and offer their perspective/vote on matters that are important to their group and our organization as a whole.

Executive Officers

The executive officers of MAAO include President, Vice President, 2 nd Vice President, Immediate Past President, and the Finance Officer. These are all voting members at Executive Board meetings. The 2nd Vice President is selected by the Nominating Committee, and selections alternate between inside the metro and outside the metro to ensure that leadership is inclusive of the entire state’s interests. This position will move up to Vice President the following year, then to President the year after, and finally to Immediate Past President in their fourth year of service. The main role of this position is to learn and prepare for the following three years. They are also the de facto chair of the Rules and Resolutions committee, which has a very minimal time commitment.

The Vice president has a slightly larger time commitment as they prepare the annual budget ahead of their year as President. They are also responsible for leading meetings in the absence of the President. The position of President comes with a larger time commitment and more responsibility. However, many offices are very supportive of conducting MAAO business on employer time. The duty of the President is to lead the organization and supervise the Association’s affairs. Presiding at Association and Executive Board meetings is a main function of this role.

The Immediate Past President position scales back to a minimal time commitment. The focus of this position is to guide those climbing through the leadership ladder and provide support to newer members of the Executive Board.

Executive Board Meetings

Executive Board meetings are held five times a year and this is where these three groups intersect to make decisions about the direction of the organization. Attendees at this meeting include Committee Chairs, Region Directors, Executive Officers, and other invited representatives. Old business is rehashed, new business is brought up, and reports are given by Committee Chairs, Region Directors, and a few other representatives, like MAAP. While the meeting is structured in a formal way, the vibe is informal and collaborative. Each report varies on length depending on the time of year and what’s going on with that respective group.

Standalone meetings are held in February and November, a joint meeting with the Legislative committee is held in August, and a meeting is held the day before Summer Seminar and Fall Conference. These meetings are a great opportunity to network with other skilled professionals and to bring your city or county’s perspective to the table. MAAO covers the cost of mileage, food, and lodging for these meetings when travel is required. It also makes a strong case as to why your supervisor should send you to Summer Seminars and Fall Conference when your attendance is needed at the Executive Board meeting the day before. While in-person meetings have been far more interactive and productive, we do have technology to allow virtual attendees. We also allow for proxies and for reports to be read at meetings by other members. We understand that not everyone can make each meeting and want to be as accommodating as possible while still conducting our business.

Consider this a very high-level overview of leadership opportunities within the organization. For more detail on any of these ways to get involved, please reach out to me. I’m always happy to answer any questions you may have or connect you with someone on a committee of interest to you.

As the year begins, the Department of Revenue has been gearing up for the next filing season and legislative session, as we always do. We’ve also been preparing for a new leader to take the helm.

In December, Gov. Tim Walz named former state Rep. Paul Marquart to be our next revenue commissioner; he starts January 2. Marquart focused on tax policy during his 11 terms as a legislator, chairing the House Taxes Committee for four years. As commissioner, I know he will continue to build on our historical relationships with MAAO and other partners. Meanwhile, we look forward to working with the governor, legislators of both parties and other stakeholders during the 2023 legislative session and beyond. This session may include a federal conformity package and other updates to our state tax system. Though laws change over time, Revenue always strives for fair, efficient and transparent administration of state taxes. To that end, we’re always thinking about how we can maintain and improve our:

• Relationships with customers outside the department

• Relationships with each other inside the department

• Systems and infrastructure that we use to administer Minnesota’s tax code

Information technology plays a large, and growing, role in how we manage these relationships and systems. That was true before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, and it’s even more true today.

Tech Landscape

The last three years have brought greater emphasis on self-service options and hybrid work opportunities for our Revenue team and our customers. These shifts parallel similar changes taking place in various ways across all levels of government. As assessors, you may be experiencing these same trends in your own offices. And you regularly interact with Revenue staff, services, and systems – such as eCRV and PRISM (Property Record Information System of Minnesota). As a result, you have a keen understanding of the opportunities and challenges technology brings to our collective work.

Our IT systems and online or digital services provide a crucial link between Revenue, our partners like MAAO, and the millions of people and businesses we all serve. Like other agencies, our systems operate in a landscape shaped by:

• Widely varying – and evolving – customer needs, abilities and challenges.

• State and federal laws with a range of requirements that affect our work.

• Budgets and staffing that can fluctuate over time.

• Protection of sensitive private and organizational data from potential cybersecurity threats.

As deputy commissioner, I represent Revenue on the Minnesota Technology Advisory Council (TAC), which advises the state on strategies to manage and modernize its IT systems and services.

IT services and digital tools can make government more efficient and provide Minnesotans with easier access to state and local services. However, these technologies change fast, and frequently. To realize their full potential, organizations and their IT systems and processes must do the same – and continuously improve over time.

TAC includes government and private-sector tech and security experts to help agencies meet that challenge. In its current form, the council started meeting in 2021 and will release a report and recommendations in January. TAC’s upcoming report will build on the work and recommendations of its predecessor, the Blue Ribbon Council on Information Technology. Several of those previous recommendations are already being implemented.

You can find published reports and learn more about TAC and its predecessors on the MNIT website at https:// mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/committees/tac.jsp. The council is an effective public-private partnership and great example of how we can work together to improve government services in Minnesota.

Looking Ahead

The 2023 legislative session begins January 3. Among other business, Gov. Walz and the Legislature will propose and negotiate a state budget for fiscal years 2023-24. Revenue stands ready to support the work of the tax and finance committees and the governor during the session, which ends by May 22.

We’ll notify you about any tax law changes that affect your work through our website and other channels and provide further guidance as needed. For the latest information:

• Go to our Tax Law Changes page at www.revenue. state.mn.us/tax-law-changes.

• Sign up for our email updates using the form on our website.

Please join me in welcoming Commissioner Marquart to Revenue and to our collective work with assessors.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the holiday season and have a Happy New Year.