King County has been recognized with an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo). The awards honor top county government programs that are innovative and enhance services for their residents.

NACo recognized King County’s eAppeals – Online Property Assessment Appeals Program for its 2014 Achievement Award in the category of Information Technology. eAppeals allows property owners to file an appeal of their property valuation on-line. eAppeals users can compare the valuations of comparable properties, forecast potential tax savings and submit evidence to support their appeal digitally as part of the online appeal process. The online process provides in-depth property information 24/7 while saving time and resources for property owners and the County.

“I would like to congratulate the eAppeal team comprised of the Assessor’s Office, King County Information Technology, the Board of Equalization, and the Tax Advisor on their hard work and collaboration on this project,” said King County Assessor Lloyd Hara. “With 30% of appeals coming via eAppeals in the launch year, the adoption rate by the public has greatly exceeded our initial expectations and reflects the overall trend of moving public data to online platforms”

“Our region has a long, proud tradition of innovation in business, which had made us an international leader in aerospace, information technology, and e-commerce,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “Likewise, King County government has embraced innovation to get the maximum benefit from every tax dollar for the people we serve.”

“We have a great team of innovative IT professionals working for King County,” said King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert. “It’s terrific to see them honored for their work developing user-friendly systems to improve our county customer service.”

NACo President Linda Langston, Supervisor, Linn County, Iowa, said, “The National Association of Counties applauds county governments that are finding new and better ways to serve their constituents. The Achievement Awards recognize counties’ outstanding efforts to be more effective and more responsive to the diverse needs of communities across the country.”

Nationally, awards are given in 21 different categories that reflect the vast, comprehensive services counties provide. The categories include children and youth, criminal justice, county administration, environmental protection, information technology, health and many more.

Started in 1970, NACo’s annual Achievement Award Program is an effort designed to recognize innovative county government programs. Each nominee is judged on its own merits and not against other applications received