More tools to support Assessment Base Management |
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We are excited to announce that the new Municipal Connect, MPAC’s data-sharing platform for municipal staff, has been equipped with even more new and updated features to enrich the user experience. The latest enhancements include:
- a powerful search experience, including saving filters and creating watch lists;
- enhancements to the Property View, providing more at-a-glance information;
- sortable tables;
- better control of sensitive data; and
- an appeals console.
New how-to videos will be made available through the Learning Library in Municipal Connect. For a walkthrough of the latest enhancements, join our training webinar this afternoon.
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Date: Monday, May 31
Time: 2 to 3 p.m. EDT
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Reminder: the previous version of Municipal Connect will be decommissioned on June 11, 2021. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your local Account Support Coordinator.
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Consulting with Municipal Representatives |
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This month, we met with our Municipal Liaison Group (MLG) for the second time this year to consult on several initiatives we have undertaken to support the sector, such as the rollout of the new Municipal Connect platform.
We asked for feedback from the group on planned changes to our production schedule for next year to streamline the extract dates and start the PACN extracts earlier in the year.
After the February MLG meeting, three new working groups comprised of MLG representatives and MPAC staff were formed and the full MLG received a brief update on the work of those groups to date.
Future of the Assessment Roll – to explore the potential for electronic delivery and viewing of the assessment role, a survey was recently sent to municipalities to develop a greater understanding of how the public uses the Property Assessment Roll and identify potential opportunities for improvement or modernization.
Optional Small Business Tax Class – the group is providing input into a white paper MPAC is developing in collaboration with municipalities and municipal associations. It will recommend approaches for how municipalities can consider implementation of the Small Business Property Subclass. Stay tuned for the release of the white paper this summer.
Master Municipal Services Agreement – the group is providing input, along with municipal legal staff, on a streamlined agreement that outlines the MPAC/municipal relationship, including usage of MPAC data for both planning and operational purposes. The agreement will consolidate our existing municipal licence agreement, product use sheets, and Municipal Connect Licence, among others. Stay tuned for a summer webinar on this topic.
We extend our appreciation to MLG members who are volunteering their time and providing valuable insights as part of our working groups. If you would like more information on any of these initiatives, please contact your local Account Manager.
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New ways to collect property information |
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our ability to conduct on-site property inspections, we continue to adapt our processes for gathering data to capture new assessment.
Starting June 16, we will be mailing letters to residential property owners with active building permits where we require information to update their property assessment. The letter asks them to call our Customer Contact Centre to verify their property details by phone, so that we can update our records. This is one of the ways we are continuing to prioritize capturing new assessment for municipalities.
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2021 Property Income and Expense Return Campaign |
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One of the ways we keep property data current is through our Assessment Information Request Program, through which we obtain information about individual properties and insights on property sectors. Part of that program is our 2021 Property Income and Expense Return (PIER) campaign, which kicked off on May 14. MPAC mailed request letters to property owners, asking that income and expense information be submitted through the online portal by Friday, July 16.
This year, we also asked property owners specific questions about the impacts of COVID-19 on various operating expenses. This important information contributes to our analysis of the market and helps better inform our understanding of how COVID-19 is affecting property sectors.
Helpful resources to support property owners submit their returns are available on mpac.ca.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about our PIER program please contact industry@mpac.ca.
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In the mail: confirmation letters for Exemptions for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities |
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This week we are mailing confirmation letters to approximately 2,200 property owners who currently qualify for the Exemption for Seniors and Persons with a Disability.
The program considers owners that have modified their property to accommodate a person(s) with a disability or one or more seniors aged 65 or older. If the property qualifies, the modification/portion of their property is potentially eligible for a tax exemption.
The confirmation letters we send out are to confirm that the property still qualifies for the program, and to keep our records up to date. If a letter is returned and the property does not qualify (or no longer qualifies), the exemption currently shown on the property will be removed and updated in our records.
To learn more about the Exemption for Seniors and Persons with a Disability, please visit mpac.ca.
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New inserts with every notice |
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Earlier this month, MPAC added a new insert to the notices we mail property owners. These notices help property owners better understand why they received the notice, how assessed value is different than market value, and why the valuation date is fixed at January 1, 2016.
This new insert will be included with in-year notices mailed in 2021, to help provide clarity to property owners and improve the customer experience.
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Coming soon: survey on legislative/regulatory changes |
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MPAC is in the process of evaluating our current Realty Tax Class (RTC)/Realty Tax Qualifier (RTQ) listings. The RTC/RTQ combination determines the tax rate applied by the taxing authority.
There are a still a number of RTC/RTQ combinations available for future classifications, but without expanding the codes beyond single digits, we may be unable to support any additional class, subclasses or complexities once these current combinations have been exhausted.
In our effort to proactively approach any potential legislative or regulatory changes, MPAC is looking for municipal feedback as many of the products we provide our municipal partners will be impacted by any potential changes.
Keep an eye out for a survey that will be distributed to collect feedback on any potential risk or impacts of this change. Stay tuned for a recap of our findings and more information regarding any upcoming changes.
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MPAC takes the personal privacy of our stakeholders and partners very seriously and we maintain rigorous security standards on all of our information systems. We also require the same rigorous security standards of service providers.
If there is a data breach in your municipality and it may include MPAC data, please reach out to us so that we can ensure that we fulfill our obligations under the MFIPPA, and collaboratively work on a response.
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How does MPAC assess properties in Ontario? |
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MPAC assesses and classifies every property in Ontario, which provides the foundation of Ontario’s taxation system.
Join our subject matter experts Tracy McIntyre, Regional Manager and Jake Lefebvre, Account Manager, Municipal and Stakeholder Relations and Amy Raycroft, Manager, Valuation and Customer Relations, for an overview of how we assess Ontario’s 5.4 million properties, including the:
- legislation relative to valuing properties;
- three approaches to value; and
- factors that go into our valuations.
There will be an opportunity for you to ask questions.
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Date: Thursday, June 3
Time: 1 to 2 p.m. EDT
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If you missed last month's webinar with MPAC’s Central Processing Facility on addressing, severances and consolidations, you can watch it here.
View the schedule of upcoming municipal webinars on mpac.ca and view recordings of all past webinars on our YouTube channel.
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When Central Elgin Municipality undertook an asset management review last year, local Account Manager Brenda Slater proved to be a great resource and helped make the project a success.
“Our review involved taking inventory of all municipally-owned properties, and Brenda and the team at MPAC offered invaluable support in consolidating roll numbers, answering questions we had and helping us access data we needed to complete our project,” says Ted Lyons, Property Tax Coordinator, Municipality of Central Elgin. “MPAC put a lot of work into supporting our review and we appreciate it.”
If you are working on a project or initiative related to property assessment and think MPAC may be able to help, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Account Manager.
We continue to work on our relationships with our partners and are always looking for stories to share.
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