NCRAAO.org

2023 NCRAAO Conference
2023-06-18 - 2023-06-22 | Catfish Bend Convention & Event Center, 3001 Winegard Drive, Burlington, IA, 52601, United States
On behalf of the North Central Regional Association of Assessing Officers, I would like to thank all the businesses, organizations, individual donors, exhibitors, instructors, volunteers, and attendees who made the Conference a success! There were 145 registered attendees from at least 10 different states! Through the hard work and dedication of all our donors, affiliates, and members, we were able to provide a high level of professional training that can only be possible by pulling resources and bringing many members together in one regional location. It was wonderful to share this experience with you in Burlington and I hope to see you all again in Kearney, Nebraska in 2024.
Respectfully,
Dixie Saunders, ICA
NCRAAO President
Conference Sponsors
Education sessions and Speaker information

2023 Board of Directors Meeting
2023-09-10 - 2023-09-11 | Younes Conference Center, 707 W Talmadge Street, Kearney, NE, 68845, United States
The 2023 NCRAAO Executive Board Meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 11, at 9:15 A.M. at the Crown Plaza Kearney – Bronze 1 meeting room.
There is a golf outing planned for Sunday, September 10
10:30 A.M. at the Meadow Hills Golf Course
Monday, September 11
7:15 A.M. – 8:15 A.M. Complimentary Continental Breakfast in the board meeting room
8:15 SA.M. – 9:15 A.M. Welcome from Younes and tour of the property
9:15 A.M. – 11:45 A.M. Executive Board meeting

2024 NCRAAO Conference
2024-08-19 - 2024-08-22 | Younes Conference Center, 707 W Talmadge Street, Kearney, NE, 68845, United States
President Robinson provides the following information about the 2024 conference.

Conference Information

The conference will be held August 19-22, 2024, at the
Younes Conference Center North in Kearney, Nebraska. (Street address: 707 W Talmadge Street, Kearney, NE 68845)
Kearney has a regional airport for those who wish to fly in.

A summary of the educational sessions can be viewed here.

Maps of the conference hotel

A summary of all conference events can be viewed here.

Registration Information

Registration for the conference is no longer available.
Please get in touch with Michelle Robinson with any questions. Phone number (308) 762-6100 or email at assessor@boxbuttecountyne.gov

Vendors can register here.

The Golf Registration closed. Registrations are no longer being accepted.
This was the registration link.

Hotel Information

The hotel room blocks are at The Crowne Plaza Hotel and the Hampton Inn.
The Crowne Plaza Hotel will be the primary host hotel, the room rate will be $149.95 per night.
The Crown Plaza Hotel phone number is (308) 238-7000.

The other room block is at the Hampton Inn ($144.95).
The Hampton Inn phone number is (308) 234-3400.

If you call to make reservations, please mention that you are making a reservation for the
NCRAAO 2024 Conference. They should be able to set up direct billing upon request if you so choose.

Pre-conference Events

Pre-conference events will include a choice of golf at Meadowlark Hills or bowling and other activities at the Big Apple Fun Center.

A tour experience at the Archway Monument spans I-80, and includes some interesting historical information about Nebraska, the Platte River Valley, and the settlement of the West.

Additional Activities in Kearney

For those who enjoy museums, Kearney offers many, such as the
Nebraska Firefighter Museum,
Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA),
Trails & Rails Museum,
GW Frank Museum, and the
Classic Car Collection Museum.

The Kearney area offers whitewater rafting and a walking path along Yanney Park that leads through the hotel campus area.

Other local attractions include the Children’s Natural History Museum,
a semi-pro hockey arena,
and Raceway Park.

2024 Board of Directors Meeting
2025-01-07 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | KS
MINUTES
NCRAAO ANNUAL EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
MANHATTAN, KS
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

Following a tour of the Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center meeting rooms with hotel staff, President Robinson called the Annual Executive Board meeting to order at 8:52 a.m.
Roll Call of Officers
Illinois: Not active, none present
Indiana: Not active, none present
Iowa: Larry Andreesen, Ray Armel, Christy Tinnes
Kansas: Lisa Berg (President-Elect), Robin Knoblauch, Beau Boisvert
Michigan: Not active, none present
Minnesota: Not active, none present
Missouri: Not active, none present
Nebraska: Michelle Robinson (President)
North Dakota: Don Flaherty (Vice President), Deb Kirschenheiter,
South Dakota: Shannon Rittberger, Karla Goossen
Wisconsin: None Present
Treasurer: Rownea Gerbracht
Secretary: Dixie Saunders (Past President)
Also present were KCAA Executive Secretary Cindy Brenner, Hospitality Committee Directors Mel Obbink, Bob Ehler, and Ryan Poots. Webmaster Steve Miner attended virtually.
President Robinson asked for approval of the agenda. Motion by Berg, second by Flaherty to approve the agenda. Motion carried.
Motion by Gerbracht, second by Kirschenheiter to approve the minutes of the September 11, 2023, Executive Board Meeting. Motion carried.
Motion by Armel, second by Knoblauch to approve the minutes of the August 19, 2024, Conference Meeting. Motion Carried.
Gerbracht presented the Treasurer’s Report which included the NCRAAO Income/Expense Report dated 8/1/2023 through 7/31/2024, with an ending balance of $59,851.63. Motion by Rittberger, second by Boisvert to approve the Treasurer’s Report. Motion carried.
Old Business
2024 Hospitality Committee Report: Ehler presented the Hospitality Committee Conference Report from the NCRAAO Conference held August 19-21, 2024, in Kearney, NE. The report included pages showing the contributions from the 16 exhibitors and 1 sponsor, attendees totaling 185, and vendor costs per attendee of $55.96. A history of income to expenses, itemized expenses, attendance history, and illustrative graphs were also included in the report. The 2023 Hospitality Committee balance carried forward was $4,952.44. The 2024 income was $6,060.38 and the expenses were $10,353.57, with an ending 2024 hospitality account balance of $659.25. Ehler explained that the Hospitality Committee has historically supported the pre-event golfers’ hospitality and giveaways, cash drawings during the conference, and snacks and refreshments during breaks. With the current balance being low and food costs rising, he and his committee proposed that in the future, whatever income is generated by vendor registrations be used to cover those items up to the amount received by vendors. Any remaining balance would go back into the host committee’s budget. He said this process would promote more cost-consciousness and would result in the committee carrying forward a zero balance each year.
Ehler also noted that the exhibitor fee has been $400 for many years. He and his committee proposed increasing the exhibitor fee to $500 plus the cost of one registration. Additional vendor attendees would pay the normal registration fee. Board member consensus was to make those changes for future conference registrations.
Ehler reported that he would be retiring at year-end and proposed that the Board approve Vanguard employee Reed Kenney to take his Secretary/Treasurer position on the Hospitality Committee. Motion by Robinson, second by Flaherty to reluctantly approve Ehler’s resignation and approve Kenney to take his place on the Hospitality Committee. Motion carried.
Discussion followed regarding whether the Executive Board has any, or should have any, authority to make appointments or other decisions regarding the Hospitality Committee.
Motion by Flaherty, second by Knoblauch create a policy regarding the Hospitality Committee. After some discussion, Flaherty and Knoblauch moved and seconded to withdraw the original motion. Motion carried.
PayPal fees were discussed. Gerbracht and Robinson reminded conference planners to be aware of the fees that come out of all registrations paid online. The consensus was that appropriate fees should be added to the registration fee for those who pay online using PayPal.
2024 Final Conference Report: President Robinson reported there were 185 registrants. She said she had not completed her formal conference report but would have it completed within 60 of the conference as required by the By-Laws. Robinson reported an ending balance of $5660.15. She noted that the online PayPal fees reduced their income but said that the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO) had generously covered all the education expenses.
Remuneration for Directors: Motion by Rittberger, second by Gerbracht to provide remuneration of one night’s lodging expense at the host hotel for Board Members. Motion carried.
Directors’ Dinner Guest Meal Reimbursement: Motion by Flaherty, second by Rittberger to cover the meal expenses of guests in attendance for the Directors’ evening dinner. Motion carried.
New Business
Budget 2024-2025: Gerbracht presented the proposed 2024-2025 Budget, which included the prior year’s 2023-2024 budgeted line items and actual expenditures of $11,334.35. She and others felt that the promotional brochure line expense could be reduced to $0 now that each host state can alter the Word document and print their own brochures as needed with any printing fees coming from their respective conference budgets. Gerbracht noted that she entered an incorrect amount on the Officer Stipend (Secretary & Treasurer) line item as that should now be $4,000. Gerbracht suggested that the IAAO Dues line item be reduced to $300. Motion by Boisvert, second by Berg to approve the 2024-2025 Budget to include the three line-item changes. Motion carried. The total approved 2024-2025 Budget is $22,800.
Election of Officers: President Robinson announced the election of officers. Motion by Flaherty, second by Knoblauch to nominate and cast a unanimous ballot for Lisa Berg as President. Motion carried.
Past President Robinson handed the meeting over to newly elected President Berg.
Motion by Robinson, second by Gerbracht to nominate Don Flaherty as President Elect. Motion by Rittberger, second by Armel to cease all nominations and cast a unanimous ballot for Don Flaherty as President-Elect. Motion carried.
Motion by Flaherty, second by Boisvert to provisionally nominate and cast a unanimous ballot for Wisconsin Director Shannon Neumann as Vice-President, pending her approval. Motion carried.
Motion by Flaherty, second by Andreesen to nominate and cast a unanimous ballot for Dixie Saunders as Secretary. Motion carried.
Motion by Flaherty, second by Robinson to nominate and cast a unanimous ballot for Rownea Gerbracht as Treasurer. Motion carried.
Proposed By-Laws Change: Robinson submitted proposals within the required timeframe to change Article VII Section 7 and Article IX Section 2 of the By-Laws. She said that after sending those out she discovered necessary changes had already been made to those sections. Motion by Flaherty, second by Rittberger to amend Robinson’s proposed amendments to read as follows (changes shown in red):
ARTICLE VII – MEETINGS
Section 7: All decisions of the Executive Board shall require a simple majority vote of those active Directors present, either in person, by proxy, or by electronic means when at least one (1) Director of that state delegation is present in person unless otherwise stated in these By-Laws.
ARTICLE IX – AMENDMENTS
Section 2: A two-thirds majority of the Executive Board present, either in person, by proxy, or by electronic means when at least one (1) Director of that state delegation is present in person, shall be required for passage.
Motion carried to amend. Motion by Armel, second by Rittberger to approve the two proposed By-Laws changes as amended. All in favor. Motion carried.
Confirmation of 2025 Site & Update (Kansas): President Berg distributed a Preliminary Agenda and listing of courses with presenters for the NCRAAO Conference in Manhattan, Kansas on June 15-19, 2025. The Hilton Garden Inn is the host hotel and has 80 rooms available at a rate of $124 per night. Overflow hotels will be the Holiday Inn at a rate of $112, located across the road, and the nearby Fairfield Inn at a rate of $120. The room block will be under the North Central Regional Association of Assessing Officers. The block will not cover reservations for Saturday night.
Motion by Rittberger, second by Knoblauch to approve the Hilton Garden Inn & Conference Center in Manhattan, KS as the location for the 2025 NCRAAO Conference. Motion carried.
Free Registrations: Motion by Robinson, second by Rittberger to award two free conference registration certificates to each of the eleven NCRAAO states for the 2025 Conference in Kansas. Motion carried. Secretary Saunders said she will distribute certificates to state Directors present at this meeting and will mail the two certificates with a letter of explanation to any state with no Director in attendance.
2026 Conference Update (North Dakota): President-Elect Flaherty provided a report on the 2026 Conference which will be held in Dickinson, ND at the Astoria Hotel on August 9-14. The room rate is presently $99 per night. All education and the conference banquet will be held at the Astoria Hotel. They are projecting 175-225 attendees. Entertainment will include the President’s Reception at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora and a showing of the Medora Musical, with a Pitchfork Fondue prior. Tentative banquet entertainment is a mystery dinner theater. The golf outing will be at Bully Pulpit Golf Course.
2027 Conference Update (Wisconsin): Webmaster Miner checked with Neumann and confirmed that she accepted the Vice President position and would be her state’s conference chairperson. Wisconsin will be the 2027 host state. No other update was provided.
Future Conference Host State Site Updates: Robinson noted that she had some communication at IAAO with attendees from Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan regarding NCRAAO and said they were interested in learning more about our organization. Secretary Saunders will communicate with assessment officials from the states of Illinois and Minnesota to see if they are on board to be future host states, and she will let the Directors know what she finds out.
Name Badges: The name badge holder shortage was discussed with several saying that clear disposable badge holders would be sufficient. Motion by Knoblauch, second by Kirschenheiter to leave it up to each host state as to what type of name badge holders they wish to furnish attendees. Motion carried.
Stipends/Possible Tracking of Time: After discussion, and due to the inherent additional effort it would take to log hours spent on tasks, it was the Board’s consensus that it is not necessary for those receiving stipends to track their time, but it was suggested that they let the Board know if they feel they need more money to compensate for the time it takes in future years to carry out the required job functions.
Other: Flaherty emailed a document and explained at the meeting regarding his suggestions for changes in the By-Laws about Government and Officer terms and vacancies. He asked that anyone submit any requests for changes to his proposals so that the final proposals can be drafted and voted on at the June conference meeting.
Motion by Rittberger, second by Armel to adjourn at 11:43 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Dixie Saunders, NCRAAO Secretary

2025 NCRAAO Conference
2025-06-15 - 2025-06-19 | Hilton Garden Inn Manhattan, 410 S 3rd Street, Manhattan, KS, 66502, United States
The 2025 NCRAAO Conference
will be held in Manhattan Kansas, June 15-19, 2025.
Please take a look at President Berg’s welcome message.
The Conference Agenda can be viewed here.
The Education Session Summary can be viewed here.
The Education Session Descriptions can be viewed here.

Registration Information:
The Conference Registration form is now available here.
The Vendor Registration form is now available here.
Vendors – please sign up now because the vendor registration deadline is May 30th.

Hotel Information:

Conference Hotel:
Manhattan Hilton Garden Inn & Convention Center in Manhattan, Kansas.
The room rate will be $124 per night plus taxes and fees.
Other available hotels include:
Fairfield Inn Manhattan: $120 per night.
Holiday Inn Express for $119 per night.

Evening events
are still in the works but may include one or more of the following:
Flint Hills Discovery Center,
Museum of Art + Light,
Midwest Dream Car Collection,
Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art Scavenger Hunt / Tour,
Manhatchet Axe Throwing,
Sunset Zoo,
Wildwood Adventure Park-Ziplining,
Liquid Art Winery & Estate-Tour and tasting,
Aggieville Olympics-Bar Crawl

The pre-conference golf tournament
will be held at Colbert Hills.
The #1 ranked public golf course in Kansas!

2025 NCRAAO Board of Directors Meeting - at conference
2025-06-16 17:08 - 17:47 | Hilton Garden Inn Manhattan, 410 S 3rd Street, Manhattan, KS, 66502, United States
MINUTES
NCRAAO CONFERENCE MEETING
McDowell/Tuttle Room
Hilton Garden Inn Manhattan
410 S 3rd Street, Manhattan, KS 66502
Monday, June 16, 2025

President Lisa Berg called the meeting to order at 5:08 p.m.
Roll Call/Introductions:
Iowa: Christy Tinnes, Larry Andreesen, Ray Armel
Kansas: Lisa Berg (President), Robin Knoblauch, Kelly DesLauriers
North Dakota: Deb Kirschenheiter, Don Flaherty (president-elect)
Nebraska: Neal Dethlefs, Amy Peterson, *Michelle Robinson (Past President)
South Dakota: Shannon Rittberger, Joshua Marbach
Secretary: Dixie Saunders
Treasurer: Rownea Gerbracht
Hospitality: Mel Obbink, Ryan Poots, Reed Kinne
Webmaster: *Steve Miner
Also present was IAAO President Donna VanderVries.
(* Denotes virtual attendees)
2025 Kansas Conference Information: President Berg reported a preliminary count of 170 attendees and 16 vendors registered for the Manhattan Conference. She said that all the instructors are lined up to provide a total of sixteen educational sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. North Dakota will be hosting hospitality in the Big Blue River/Ft. Riley Room.

Hospitality Committee Update: Committee Secretary/Treasurer Kinne reported that the sixteen vendors attending the conference have all paid now, but there were some payment issues due to the fees for vendor set-ups and their registrations for attendance each being handled differently. He said the food in the hospitality room will be paid for by KCAA. Vendor-sponsored cash prizes will be given away during breaks. Vendor proceeds will go to the KCAA first and then be directed to Kansas’ NCRAAO account.
2026 Conference Update: President-Elect Flaherty reported on the NCRAAO Conference to be held August 10-14, 2026, at the Astoria Hotel in Dickinson, North Dakota. The schedule runs a day later than typical with early arrival/golfer hospitality being Monday night, and the NCRAAO Conference Board meeting at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 11th. The pre-conference golf tournament will be held on Tuesday afternoon at Bully Pulpit in Medora. The President’s Reception and auction will be that evening in Dickinson. He said there will be 9 hours of educational offerings on Wednesday and Thursday. For entertainment, attendees will be bused to Medora on Wednesday afternoon to tour the Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library and enjoy a pitchfork steak fondue and The Medora Musical. Thursday’s banquet will include a mystery dinner theater.
Flaherty reported that the 2025 Annual Executive Board Meeting and hotel tour is scheduled for Monday, September 8th at the Astoria Hotel Convention Center in Dickinson. The early arrival date is Saturday, September 6th. Golf at Bully Pulpit and the Annual Directors’ Dinner will be on Sunday, September 7th.
2027 Conference Update: No report was given.
Proposal for Amendment to By-Laws: Members reviewed submitted changes which included defining the executive committee and streamlining the officer elections, successions, and terms. Following discussion, a motion by Knoblauch, second by Andreesen to table the agenda item to allow time for further review. Motion carried.

Other Business: Concerns about vendor payment methods and the need for a new key executor for the bank account were raised. Kinne will continue to work on canceling the Wells Fargo account.

The meeting concluded with a discussion on potential logo changes for the association. Anyone can submit NCRAAO logo ideas until August 15th.

Motion by Rittberger, second by Armel to adjourn at 5:47 p.m. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Dixie Saunders
NCRAAO Secretary

2026 NCRAAO Conference
2026-08-09 08:00 - 2026-08-14 17:00 | Astoria Hotel & Event Center, 363 15th Street West, Dickinson, ND, 58601, United States
The 2026 NCRAAO Conference
August 9, 2026
NCRAAO Board of Directors Meeting
President-Elect Flaherty provided a report on the 2026 Conference, which will be held in Dickinson, ND, at the Astoria Hotel on August 9-14. The room rate is presently $99 per night (the current state rate). All education and the conference banquet will be held at the Astoria Hotel. They are projecting 175-225 attendees. Entertainment will include the President’s Reception at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora and a showing of the Medora Musical, with a Pitchfork Fondue prior. Tentative banquet entertainment is a mystery dinner theater. The golf outing will be at Bully Pulpit Golf Course.

Hotel Information:

Conference Hotel:
Astoria Hotel & Event Center in Dickinson, ND.

Evening events are still in the works but may include the following:
Entertainment will consist of the President’s Reception at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora and a showing of the Medora Musical, with a Pitchfork Fondue prior. Tentative banquet entertainment is a mystery dinner theater.

The pre-conference golf tournament
will be held at Bully Pulpit Golf Course.
The #1 ranked public golf course in North Dakota!

2027 NCRAAO Conference
2027-06-15 14:33 | KS
The 2027 NCRAAO Conference
September 30, 2027
NCRAAO Board of Directors Meeting
Webmaster Miner checked with Neumann and confirmed that she accepted the Vice President position and would be her state’s conference chairperson. Wisconsin will be the 2027 host state. No other update was provided.

Hotel Information:

Conference Hotel:
Not determined yet
Other available hotels include:
None Provided

Evening events
Have not been determined yet.

The pre-conference golf tournament
Not determined yet.
