If you read the title of this post too fast, you might think it says “Bacon.” Sorry, I’m not going to be talking about the fatty goodness of fried strips of pork. Hopefully, though, you’ll consider “Beacon” to be just as good.
Beacon is a service provided through the website of the Morrison County government. If you go to the website, you’ll see that there is a link to Beacon near the top of the page. Beacon shows you data on property in Morrison County. You can find property owners, property tax statements, and see wicked cool aerial views of land all over the county. You can even zoom in to a certain extent to get a better view.
Chuck Forss, who works with information technology at the county, gave me a nice overview of the site. If Chuck is not around to talk you through the site, there are instructions available, which can be found by clicking on the question mark icon in the upper right-hand corner of the site.
When you enter Beacon, the first thing you will see is a map of Morrison County. You can zoom in on this map by clicking on an area. (Select the magnifying glass tool near the top of the map.) If you keep zooming in, eventually you’ll get to the parcel level. Once you are at this level, if you hover over the parcel number, a box will pop up that shows you who owns the property. If you select the camera tool from the tool bar, you’ll get a window that allows you to see an aerial or bird’s eye view of the property. (On the pop-up window, you’ll find a way to select for either aerial or bird’s eye at the top. Aerial is a longer shot; bird’s eye is closer.)
If you want to search for a specific property, select the Search tab above the tools. You can enter the address, property description or parcel number. Follow the instructions on the page for what to enter. You might get multiple results from your search. From this list, you can pick a parcel to examine more closely. When you’ve made your selection, a page will come up that will give you property valuations and taxes. You can then select the Map tab at the top and you will be shown a map of the property. If you select the camera, then you will see the aforementioned bird’s eye view . Sweet, eh?
Play around with Beacon for a little while, just to see what you can see. It’s great fun.