One of the five goals in Gus’ strategic plan was to improve customer service – specifically, to decrease the amount of protest during appeal season and increase website usage. The office recently launched a parcel map property search with EagleView imagery which does just that, by allowing all residents to view their property online eliminating the need to visit the office and protest their appraisal.
“We’re the only office that doesn’t have tons of foot traffic because everything is online,” says Gus. “That allows us to get our appraisals done on time, so the budget doesn’t get out of whack and everything is properly funded.”
Another key goal was sustainability. By contracting with EagleView long past his final days in office, Gus has ensured the roadmap for future assessors is clear and utilizes modern tools.
“EagleView has truly modernized our office and county,” he says. “The office has moved more in the past six years than it ever had in the history of Santa Fe County.”
Aside from his strategic goals, EagleView has helped Gus improve efficiency and save on costs. Prior to Gus joining, the office had nearly 25 appraisers – now, they’re down to 18 who are able to accomplish the same job across 2,000 square miles with improved efficiency. In fact, when COVID-19 hit, the Assessor’s Office was the fastest in the county to get staff deployed, set up at home to do remote re-appraisals. They’re on pace to finish early in 2020 – which is one of the reasons they’ll never stop using the technology.
“With COVID-19, they’ve been cutting budgets, but they said they’ll never cut EagleView,” says Gus.
While he prepares to leave office in 2022, Gus can look back on his achievements for years to come, including three prestigious awards - The International Public Information Award in 2016, the National Public Sector Champion Jurisdiction of the Year in 2017, and the IAAO Certificate of Excellence, making them only the 47th county ever to receive the award.
Gus’ administration receives all the credit – but he also recognizes the part EagleView played.
“I couldn’t even think about doing my job now without EagleView,” says Gus. “This technology has really changed how business will be done forever in both my office, and the appraisal industry as a whole.