Janeene Stephens Niemi

• Managed administrative team overseeing public communication, property tax exemption processing, and assessment map maintenance;
• Calculated annual property tax levies for all Cowlitz County taxing districts and special assessment districts in accordance with statutory requirements and Dept of Revenue guidelines;
• Maintained assessor database and ensured quality control through utilization of basic SQL queries;
• Prepared regular reports for State and other agencies regarding all aspects of assessment, including certification of the tax roll, various abstracts, primary taxpayer reports, and the Assessor's Annual Report;
• Responded to Public Records Requests in accordance with statutory requirements;
• Maintained County Assessor public website.

• Accurately processed all incoming deeds for real or personal property in Cowlitz County, including changes to names and adjustments to boundaries, by carefully reviewing provided legal descriptions and verifying compliance with transfer of title requirements.
• Managed the Assessment Map by updating parcel and taxing district layers based on ownership changes and district boundary modifications.
• Provided public assistance and coordinated with other professionals such as title companies and surveyors in resolving issues related to documents processing, without providing legal advice.

Administered the Current Use Open Space and Designated Forest Land property tax reduction programs according to RCW 84.33 and 84.34, including the following responsibilities:

• Worked with potential applicants to make sure they understood the obligations of classification, as well as the potential tax liability they could incur in the future;
• Assisted in completion of and accepting applications, ensuring the land was in compliance with current laws and rules governing the program before approval;
• Coordinated the transfer of classified land with title companies, attorneys, and the general public;
• Maintained a map of all classified land in Cowlitz County, first by hand on a series of paper maps, then made the transition to ArcMap;
• Prepared documents for Open Space public hearing before the BOCC according to their specific format requirements.

• Served as first contact for the County Assessor's Office, assisting the general public, real estate professionals, and other agencies with all assessment-related issues;
• Processed applications for the Senior and Disabled Property Tax Exemption Program, ensuring compliance with the regular updates to the governing statutes found in Chapter 84.36 RCW. This included intense review of an applicant's finances to determine qualifying Disposable Income as defined by statute;
• Completed general office tasks such as filing, answering multi-line phones, and assisting with mass mailings.