Residents can now go online to access land records, research information from the town clerk’s office and view photos of their properties.
The town’s newly updated “Geographic Information System” launched Aug. 1, in partnership with the Council of Governments of the Central Naugatuck Valley.
The system helps residents and land use applicants to quickly obtain property and tax information online.
First Selectman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers said when she first came into office in 2007, the town’s GIS was antiquated and ineffective.
“Now the GIS can be accessed by all of our residents online, who can go in and look at their own property line and access their own information,” she said.
Jeff Cormier, the Assistant GIS Coordinator the the Council of Governments, said currently 8 out of 13 towns in the organization are using the updated system.
Cormier said two federal grants gave Oxford $5,832 for electronic parcel mapping and $25,725 for aerial color photographs.
Finance Director Jim Hliva said the town’s portion of the payment for the GIS system is $8,000 and is divided between the land use offices, building department and tax assessors office.
Drayton-Rogers said town employees received training from New England Geo Systems, who also provided re-mapping and upgrading the GIS program.
She added the timing of the GIS availability is particularly important because the town is scheduled for revaluation in 2010.
Town Clerk Margaret Potts-West said the GIS is a good research tool for her office to obtain information and guide residents in the right direction.
“The network can get information to people about lots and streets, and really puts everything together,” she said. “The best part is that all the town departments are connected and the accuracy is phenomenal.”
She added that the $10 fee for land use applicants will go into the town’s budget to offset the cost to local taxpayers.
The GIS program is available at www.cogcnvgis.com.
