The Arkansas Geographic Information Office (AGIO), on behalf of the State Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Board, is pleased to announce awards for the 2009 Parcel Grant Program. Grants will be awarded as follows:

Jefferson County Assessor Office was awarded $6,400 for a software upgrade to ArcEditor, training to streamline its polygon production workflow, and to conclude its mapping.

Polk County Assessor Office was awarded $44,000 for a contract to complete parcel polygon mapping. The county leveraged matching contributions of over $70,000 from the county, the City of Mena, SWEPCO, Rich Mountain Electric and Mena Water and Sewer.

White County Assessor Office was awarded $10,000 for a contract to complete parcel polygon mapping. The county is matching the award with $10,000 from its own budget.

Several Assessor Offices began digital mapping in 2003 through a joint effort promoted by the GIS Board, the Arkansas Assessment Coordination Department and the AGIO. By 2009, however, the counties had only been able to map 50 percent of the state. The State GIS Board recognized that without additional funding to accelerate development, the data may not be completed until after the year 2020. In response to this need the GIS Board developed the Parcel Grant Program for county assessors to close that gap and accelerate the completion of parcel polygon data statewide. The goal of the grant is to map as many counties as possible for the money provided.

The GIS Board originally announced it would provide $60,000 for the program but adjusted the amount to $60,400 for the three awards. In all a total of six counties applied, requesting over $122,000 in funds. The GIS parcel data is used for a variety of projects.

Polk County said their data would be used in their daily operations and economic development, and that it would be an invaluable tool used in the upcoming Wickes and Van Cove School District Consolidation. Public education in Arkansas is largely funded by real estate taxes. Accurate parcel mapping supports the entire process and helps ensure revenues are collected in a fair and equitable manner.

White County explained that the driving force for their application has been the Fayetteville Shale Play. The GIS data will greatly aid in the assessment of mineral rights. The Assessor has received many calls from the Chamber of Commerce on issues related directly to economic development. White County has added over 200 new businesses related to the Gas Play to their tax rolls just in the last couple of years. With this parcel layer, the county assessor’s office will be able to better assist the Chamber in determining future sites for development.

Other counties competing for the award were Dallas, Lee and Marion whose applications were not awarded. The GIS Board does not plan to let other counties fall behind, however. GIS Board President Tracy Moy said, “During the 2009 stakeholder meetings held throughout the state, several counties identified parcel mapping as one of their greatest spatial data needs. The GIS Board will continue to seek additional funding sources and assist counties so that this important work can be completed more expeditiously.” Ultimately the parcel data will be published on GeoStor the state’s GIS data platform where it can be consumed and used for other purposes. A major example is the Arkansas Site Selection Center which aids the state in competing for economic development opportunities. Parcel data for this system is a key step to ensure Arkansas is in a competitive position.