FAYETTEVILLE — Washington County’s new assessor hopes to convince thousands of people to renew or update their yearly vehicle assessments online.
People living in the county are required to assess their personal property, such as cars, motorcycles and motor homes, every year between Jan. 1 and May 31, or risk a 10 percent tax penalty. The assessment establishes a value on which the county figures one’s annual property tax.
First-time assessments require a visit to one of the county’s offices, but adjustments to assessments can be done by phone. Starting in March, the assessor’s office will give online users a way to renew personal property assessments.
“The idea is to make this convenient and less expensive for them instead of having to travel to the assessor’s office,” said Assessor Jeff Williams said. “It’s going to allow us to help the people better.”
The online option will be free to county property owners.
People assessing online will be able to print paperwork needed to renew vehicle registrations, Williams said. The county will also mail a copy to residents.
Williams said the online option will help by letting people avoid time away from work or traveling to file property assessments, Williams said.
West Fork resident Becky Ehrig, 30, thinks the process for her vehicle’s assessment is pretty easy but time consuming. She has renewed her vehicle license three times and said the process can take more than an hour from her day.
She takes online classes through NorthWest Arkansas Community College and thinks the online option will save her time and effort.
“It would be a lot easier instead of going,” Ehrig said. “The parking, I guess is my biggest thing.”
People visiting the courthouse at Dickson Street and College Avenue must park a few blocks away until the county finishes its parking deck. People can park and ride a shuttle to the courthouse or walk.
The majority of Washington County’s 85,000 personal property assessments are done by visiting one of the offices. About 20,000 assess by phone, Williams said.
Around a dozen Arkansas counties have online assessments, Williams said.
In Northwest Arkansas, Benton County started an online option in 2005, said Linda Hambrick, personal property manager.
When Hambrick walked into work Tuesday, about 200 people had filled out an online form over the weekend that included the President’s Day holiday. That’s normal, she said.
Between 100 to 200 people fill out online assessments daily. However, that number was more like 30 to 40 when Benton County first offered the service, Hambrick said.
Pulaski County has done about 10,000 online assessments this year, said Janet Troutman Ward, assessor. Pulaski County averages about 48,000 online assessments per year since it offered the service in 2002, she added. Her county handles about 150,000 assessments per year.
Fewer staff handle more assessments as a result of the online option. In 2005, Ward cut about 16 people from her staff. She said about half of those came from personal property/customer service department.
Washington County will pay about $4,000 to Arkansas-based DataScout for the necessary software.
Williams said he hopes to reach online assessment numbers similar to Benton and Pulaski Counties, but called it a “ramp up” process. It will take time for county residents to learn about the online option.