This website is the result of years of cooperation between the various
offices and departments in Mahaska County. Below is a short history of
the project.

In 1994, the Assessor’s Office commissioned ProMap Corporation of
Ames, IA to develop a Geographic Information System to automate and
improve agricultural land valuation. In 1998 and 1999 additional
cadastral and photographic layers were added to the geo-database and the
following departments were encouraged to participate: Auditor, E911, and
Engineer.

Soon after, the Information Technology board was established
and Jon Lubke was hired as the County’s GIS Coordinator. In 2001 the
“MAGIC” website was developed in cooperation with ProMap to deliver the
following types of public information via the World Wide Web: Real
Estate -Mapping, Property Assessment, and Tax Administration. This site
is continually being updated and improved to serve the citizens of
Mahaska County.

The “MAGIC” site has been updated, to what is now referred to as Beacon.