Name: PK Kaiser
Profession: Arapahoe County Assessor
Website: vote4kaiser.com
Biography: As a loving husband and father of three children, I am optimistic about the future of Arapahoe County. I am working tirelessly to ensure a high quality of life for the people. Insightful, respectful, and fair, I am thoroughly researching all aspects of an issue before making an informed decision. An excellent listener, I am reaching out to the people and learn what concerns them. I am representing the people of Arapahoe County in a wise and dignified manner.
I have earned an MBA in finance, a master's degree in accounting, a master's degree in ag economics and I am working on my Ph.D degree in sustainable economics. I have worked for the United States Postal Service, Colorado Department of Revenue, Department of Corrections, City & County of Denver, and the Community College of Aurora. I am holding an active Colorado ad-valorem appraiser and a managing broker licenses.
In last four years as the county assessor and throughout my working life; as a public servant, as a small business owner, and a real estate pro, I have gained, skills, knowledge and experience to make himself an ideal candidate for the Arapahoe County assessor.
How would handle a walk-in appointment policy?
The assessor office is open to public for walk-in appointments. The visitors can come directly to the front office where they are being helped by customers service staff. If the visitors want to see any particular specialist like area appraiser, title, special district, name change, senior citizen tax exempt application, the front desk employees bring the relevant specialist and visitors' needs are fulfilled. The assessor office has main office at 5334 S. Prince Street in Littleton and a branch office in Aurora, located at 15400 E. 14th Pl., Ste. 500. Both offices are staffed and remain open during the office hours.
What is your approach to bringing fairness to the tax system in Arapahoe County?
The transparency and accountability at all levels of assessor office have brought fairness to the Arapahoe County property owners. We have brought more properties into taxable net than any previous assessors. We are following new constructions and addition/deletion permits very swiftly and record the percentage completed into our books. The statistically methodology we use for mass appraisal is technical tested and we follow the full guidelines of Division of Property Taxation in the state department of local affairs. Our mass appraisal is edited every year by the stated appointed editors and last in four years our statistical models and results are ratified by the edit company without any additional action. Recently, we have added more than 120 properties at the Centennial Airport which were never taxed before. This year we have sent out survey/letters to selected residential properties which were not bought/sold in last several years so we may know if those properties have gone through any updates/remodel, addition/deletion. Due to our transparent assessment practice and process improvements the numbers of appeals are on a sharp decline during my time in office which shows public trust in the assessor's office. Every year we have less appeals/protests than the previous year. We have introduced and adapted a transparency map where all properties in the county can be seen in terms of value change. This one of our technologies we have developed. We have plans to continue our policy of transparency, accountability, and fairness and we will stay innovative to bring more efficient solutions to issue our citizens may have.
How would you approach valuation protests by property owners?
The Arapahoe County Assessor Office is the leader in Colorado for bringing innovation, process improvement, training and adapting changes. We have introduced the scannable code on all notices of values. The property owners can scan the QR code and can go directly on to their property. We have made all residential appeals online so people can appeal their values from anywhere. We have also installed the drop boxes in front of all major county buildings so appeals and any other documents for assessor can be dropped off 24/7 in those boxes. During the protest period we also made mobile assessor units and set up remote camps and provided opportunities for the people to appeal/protest their values at their doorsteps. In the past we have had remote camps in the senior citizen housing communities and in the eastern part of the county. We accept any form of communication between property owners and the assessor office like any written paper, phone call, walk in, fax, email, online and drop boxes. Due to adding more options to appeals/protests, the assessor offices are not crowded any more. In the past there were long line of people waiting for hours to submit their appeals but now most of our appeals are submitted online.
What sets you apart from other candidates in this race?
I am the best educated candidate in the state of Colorado running for assessor. I have MBA in finance, MS in accounting, MS ag economics and currently working on my Ph.D. in economics. I have worked for various federal, state, and local governments like USPS, Colorado Department of Revenue, Department of Corrections, City & County of Denver, Community College of Aurora, etc. I have strong grip on technology (I am member of county IT steering committee from last four years), statistics, and mass appraisal methodology. I am keeping up my knowledge and skills up to the industry standards through continue education, seminars, conferences, webinars, and presentations at various levels.
