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Stevens County delays decision on restoring name-search in online tax parcel viewer amid new shielding law
Summary
County staff recommended removing the name-search function from the public tax parcel viewer because of a new judicial shielding law; commissioners debated public-access trade-offs and tabled the question to a work session for further direction.
The Stevens County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday debated whether to restore a name-search function on the county's online tax parcel viewer after staff said new judicial shielding rules require changes to how property records are displayed.
"Under the new shielding law, we are required to shield real property records," the staff member said, urging the board to consider removing the name-search function that had allowed residents to search parcels by owner name. The staff member said the county already must sever links for shielded properties and that some parts of the parcel viewer will still show parcel details by address or parcel ID.
Several commissioners urged keeping the name-search feature for convenience. "I feel like it still should have the name there," said a committee member, noting that many residents rely on name searches to find property information without knowing an address.
Board members discussed how neighboring counties handle the function and whether third-party data vendors would still make names searchable even if the county removed the feature. Staff said it had received three calls in the prior two weeks from users who could no longer find properties by name.
After extended discussion about privacy, public access and implementation details, the board tabled the decision and asked staff to present the issue at a scheduled work session next week for additional briefing and possible policy direction.
The staff member said anyone who has requested shielding will not appear in the name-search results, and shielded properties remain protected regardless of the board's decision on name-search functionality.
The matter will return for more detailed consideration at the work session, where commissioners said they expect to weigh potential policy language and technical options before deciding whether to reinstate the search by name.
