Building Trust Through Outreach: The Skagit County Experience
Presentation Category
Leadership and Management
General Session Description
Property assessment is often seen as a technical, back-office function — until taxpayers receive their value notices. At that point, communication and trust matter as much as statistical accuracy. This session will highlight practical outreach strategies from Skagit County, Washington, where the Assessor’s Office has rebuilt its approach to public engagement. From senior exemption workshops and online portals to community presentations, social media, and partnerships with local councils, we’ll explore how proactive communication can reduce appeals, improve transparency, and build long-term public trust. Participants will leave with a playbook of strategies for engaging their own communities, tailored to different audiences (seniors, city officials, general taxpayers), along with lessons learned about what works, what doesn’t, and why outreach is as essential to equity as any ratio study.
Start Date
3-31-2026 10:30 AM
End Date
3-31-2026 12:00 PM
Building Trust Through Outreach: The Skagit County Experience
Property assessment is often seen as a technical, back-office function — until taxpayers receive their value notices. At that point, communication and trust matter as much as statistical accuracy. This session will highlight practical outreach strategies from Skagit County, Washington, where the Assessor’s Office has rebuilt its approach to public engagement. From senior exemption workshops and online portals to community presentations, social media, and partnerships with local councils, we’ll explore how proactive communication can reduce appeals, improve transparency, and build long-term public trust. Participants will leave with a playbook of strategies for engaging their own communities, tailored to different audiences (seniors, city officials, general taxpayers), along with lessons learned about what works, what doesn’t, and why outreach is as essential to equity as any ratio study.