CITY OF MENIFEE
SUBJECT: STAX Property Finder Application
MEETING DATE: September 10, 2024
TO: Finance Committee
PREPARED BY: Lauri Lockwood, Financial Analyst
REVIEWED BY: Travis Hickey, Chief Financial Officer
APPROVED BY: Armando G. Villa, City Manager
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
1. Receive and file a report on STAX Property Finder, an online portal available to property owners to access current tax information.
DISCUSSION
One of the City’s guiding principles is to provide municipal services in a responsive and transparent manner, ensuring that current and future residents have access to local government in a meaningful way. In an effort to help Menifee property owners better understand how the City uses their property tax money, the City has partnered with Spicer Consulting Group to debut the STAX Property Finder application. STAX is a proprietary online property tax portal that allows property owners to look up their property using either the property address or Parcel Identification Number (PIN) found on their property tax bill.
The City of Menifee receives a share of the ad valorem tax assessed on each property and collects money from special assessments levied on parcels included within the boundaries of the six CSAs, 24 LLMDs, 65 services CFDs and 12 facilities CFDs currently established in the City.
The amounts, purpose, and duration of each component of a property tax bill vary greatly and that information is not printed on the Riverside County tax bill.
Existing and potential property owners frequently call the City asking about the nature and disposition of the charges represented by the numerous lines on their property tax bill, which can include the basic ad valorem tax, debt-related assessments for school districts, Mt. San Jacinto College, water districts, and special assessments put on the tax roll by the City. Some tax lines will eventually fall off the tax bill when the debt is paid, whereas assessments that cover the costs of providing services will remain in perpetuity. Due to the nature of the varying types of taxes, owners are frequently confused about who receives their property tax money, what it is used for and if it will one day be removed from the tax rolls. In order to get those specific details, a phone
City of Menifee Staff Report
STAX Property Finder application
September 10, 2024
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call is required to the taxing agency.
The STAX application empowers property owners, allowing anyone to easily look up their property and quickly see the details of their property tax bill, including their land value, the value of the improvements on their property and a listing of which special districts are administered by the City. Users can then get further details on any of those City-levied assessments, including the amount of the assessment for that district, if that particular tax will increase each year, what services the district provides for that money, when (or if) that assessment will fall off the tax rolls, and a map of the district boundaries. Additionally, an application enhancement is in the works to provide information on how Menifee property owners can contact the City about any of the services a particular special district provides.
While the STAX application does not currently offer detailed information on taxes levied by other jurisdictions, it includes a direct link at the top of the property owner’s page to the County’s property tax portal, specific to their property. Residents seeking information about non-city- imposed taxes can access their tax bill and find contact numbers for inquiries regarding any particular tax line.
The City of Menifee will be the third city to make this application available to homeowners, following the City of Lake Elsinore and City of Beaumont, which currently offer it to property owners within their jurisdictions. The application can be accessed at https://propertyfinder.spicercg.com/, and a link to the application will be posted on the City’s website. A live demonstration of the program will be offered by Spicer Consulting Group during the Finance Committee meeting.
FISCAL IMPACT
The City has entered into an agreement with Spicer Consulting Group to provide access to the property information for parcels within its boundaries. The annual $24,385 which will increase by 2% each year, was previously approved as part of the FY 2024/25 mid-cycle budget and is covered by the special districts.
There is no additional fiscal impact associated with the recommended action.
ATTACHMENTS
None.