Todd County Parcel Mapping
The
Todd County GIS & Land Services Department currently want to continue the
development and maintenance of computerized mapping of parcel boundaries
countywide. The use of parcel
mapping in a GIS based system helps answer questions in a short time that could
normally take hours to compile or research.
The list of users who would use this service would be Soil and Water
Conservation Districts, Farm Service Agencies, Department of Natural Resources
and other state agencies, local realtors, developers, engineering firms,
surveyors, schools, land buyers, insurance and mortgage companies, etc.
Problem Statement:
The Todd County GIS & Land Services Department currently have two full time staff responsible for an assortment of tasks and programs, including the development and maintenance of computerized mapping of parcel boundaries countywide as time allows. The department’s staff currently spend approx. 80% of their time working with the county’s GIS Based E911 System (includes addressing, mapping, software, signing, administration, etc) 15% providing GIS support for county staff, the general public, townships, government agencies and the cities in the Todd County boundary. The other 5% of our time is spent administratively. Many re-organizational studies have been conducted to increase available time for parcel mapping, however given Todd County’s existing staff and lack of available funds no changes have been recommended. The GIS & Land Services Department has written and received a number of grants over the past few years for projects that provided us funding to hire temporary staff and to begin the parcel mapping program. To date we have completed seven of the twenty-eight townships and five of the eleven cities. When a hiring freeze was implemented in 2002, due to budget constraints, we reduced services and operated the department for more than two years with only two staff completely eliminating any time for parcel map development or maintenance.
Using funds from other grants in 2003 the GIS & Land Services staff were able to purchase a web server and web software enabling us to post the mapping developed to that point on a web based Todd County Community “ Information” Center, making the data we had developed available to a wide variety of users. County Parcel Tax data is linked to the parcel mapping allowing users to answer many of their questions without having to call the Todd County Court House and expanding information access to 24 x 7. The web based information system currently has an average of 264 users per day, totaling approx. 41,000 users this year to date. The average user accesses 3-4 pages each. We have seen continued increase in use since the site was developed.
The site is designed to help inform and encourage leadership at the community level in focusing on the preservation of cultural and natural resources. Providing everyone access to information as it is developed and as changes occur improves public knowledge of land use change and the potentially adverse impacts of poorly planned developments, both locally and regionally. A completed parcel layer is a vital element of this system. Without adequate staff to continue development and maintenance of this information it will become outdated.
Objective:
The
goal of this grant request is to secure adequate funding to hire a full time
temporary GIS Technician for the period of time it will take to
complete the Todd County computerized parcel mapping. Estimated time for project
completion – 3 years.
Estimated cost based on a wage of $14.50 per hour + benefits (experienced technician)- approx. $40,000 per year. Total unfunded portion of project -$120,000.
The
temporary GIS technician would work under the direct supervision of the Todd
County GIS & Land Services Manager, using Todd County equipment, computers,
software and work- space.
This would translate to a County contribution of approx. 20% of the GIS Department Manager’s time - $12,400 annually x 3. Todd County will provide the computer and necessary software - $7,000, work- space value.
Todd
County Recorder Department staff will provide approx. 300 hours at $35.00 for
research of deeds and other related documents - $10,500
County In-Kind Contribution: $54,700 per year
Current
Contributions to this project:
Sauk River Watershed District - $7,000
Potential
Contributions to this project:
Lake
Osakis Lake Association - $1,000 –tentative
City
of Osakis - $3,000
Data
development standards have been developed by Todd County; those same standards
will be followed.
The Todd County GIS & Land Services Department staff will post all parcel data developed on the Todd County Community “Information” Center web site as each township is completed, making the data immediately available to the public. All parcel data developed through this grant will be made available for planning purposes to the cities, townships, watershed district, SWCD and other government agencies serving Todd County no charge upon request.
Once
the project is completed the Todd County GIS & Land Services Department will
continue to maintain the Parcel Mapping data as staff time permits.
Alternatives:
One
alternative to drawing the parcel mapping internally is to contract the work to
a consulting firm. The est. cost for that plan is approx. $10.00 - $15.00 per
parcel (varies based on county contribution, accuracy, and completeness). We
have approx. 19,000 parcels left to map, making the consultant cost approx.
$190,000 - $285,000. Todd County staff would contribute time for parcel research
and data assembly as time permitted. This
plan would translate to a much higher overall project cost if funding is secured.
If
funding is not secured another option would be to continue to work on the
project with existing staff. Given current staff responsibilities and
priorities, this plan would spread the project out over an undeterminable number
of years based on very limited available staff time.
Benefits:
The use of parcel
mapping in a GIS based system helps
answer questions in a very short time that would ordinarily take hours to
compile or research. For instance when a Lake Association is planning an
informational meeting for all of the first and second tier landowners around a
lake and need the mailing addresses, using the parcel layer and GIS software a
spreadsheet with an accurate listing can be created in a matter of minutes. A
watershed district wanting to create maps or listings of the parcels within
their districts, minor watersheds or management districts, could combine
parcels, elevation data, land-cover, soils, etc. to determine more accurately
who to go to when problems are identified.
The
GIS & Land Services Department receives phone calls regularly asking when we
will be finishing or updating the parcel mapping currently posted on line. The
list of users is expanding as agencies and individuals find and explore the
county web site including: Sauk River Watershed District, SWCD, FSA, DNR and
other state agencies, local realtors, developers, engineering firms, surveyors,
schools (answers open enrollment questions), potential land buyers, insurance
companies, mortgage companies, city staff and council members, lake
associations, township board members, community members, Red Cross volunteers,
businesses and more.
Providing access to
parcel information as it is developed and as changes occur improves
public knowledge of land use and change both locally and regionally.
Parcel mapping combined with electronic parcel tax information is a powerful tool for both local governments and the base for most planning projects in both government and public sector. Having this layer completed, and available for use, will save both taxpayers and businesses money, helping to answer questions quickly that previously would require many hours of research. A completed parcel layer is a vital element of GIS based systems and would become a key tool for future planning projects in environmental issues, economic development, emergency management, public safety, county ditch management plans and others in Todd County. Once completed all data would be posted on-line for public use and made available in electronic format to other government agencies for their use as well.