Park County assessor defends three outside contracts as commissioners review staffing and costs

Monica Jones, Park County assessor, briefed the Board of County Commissioners on three outside contracts used by the assessor’s office and described why the contracts remain in place as the county examines budget priorities.

Jones said the county pays Just Appraised roughly $19,000 annually for deed-record transfer software that imports clerk-recorder deed information directly into the CAMA (computer-aided mass appraisal) system; she said the contract frees staff from repetitive data entry and reduces errors. The board asked for a copy of the contract; a commissioner said they had not personally seen the signed agreement and requested staff provide it.

Two appraisal-support contracts were the focus of lengthier discussion. Value West, a commercial appraisal firm Jones said she first engaged in February 2019, is contracted at $27,600 for 2025 to provide certified-general-appraiser expertise. Jones said Park County lacks a certified-general commercial appraiser on staff and that Value West’s services are relied on for initial commercial valuations and support during appeals. John Zimmerman of Value West joined by Zoom and told the board his firm provides services to multiple Colorado counties and that demand for commercial appraisal support remains high.

MAK (referred to in the transcript as MAK Appraisal/MAK Valuations) provides statistical modeling and data-analysis support; Jones said MAK’s contract is $45,000 for 2025 (unchanged from 2024). Jones described MAK’s role in calibrating mass-appraisal models, training staff and helping the office meet state audit standards during a revaluation cycle. Mike O’Connor of MAK participated in the discussion and explained that training a county employee to perform all functions can take years and that MAK often serves in a mentoring and verification role even after local staff take on more work.

Commissioners pressed Jones on staffing, certification pathways and the potential to step down contractor support over time. Jones said training an employee to commercial-appraisal certification typically takes multiple years and specific educational and supervised-experience steps; she said turnover and a large staffing change after the last reappraisal left the office short of experienced personnel. Jones said she has repeatedly returned unspent funds in her budget in prior years and that outside contracts offset the county’s inability to recruit licensed candidates at available salary levels.

Members of the public and contractors spoke during public comment. Dr. Robert Casola described permitting delays for a private project and urged the county to address administrative backlogs. John Zimmerman (Value West) and other contractors described the specialized nature of their work and the limited market for certified-general appraisers and valuation-modeling experts.

No formal action to change or cancel the contracts was taken at the meeting; commissioners said they would review the contracts and the assessor agreed to provide requested contract documents and further details to the board.