Assessor outlines 2026 budget increase tied to software conversion, licensing and training costs

The county assessor’s office presented its 2026 budget request Thursday, telling the Board of County Commissioners the request includes a substantial one‑time conversion charge for a new, integrated property valuation and management platform and higher recurring licensing fees for mapping and valuation software. The office said the changes reflect a multi‑year migration that will temporarily increase IT and software spending while reducing duplicated work across older systems.

The assessor’s presentation centered on a shift from multiple historic programs to a single vendor product referred to in the packet as “Catalyst.” The assessor said the vendor’s first‑year conversion cost in the packet is about $101,000; ongoing annual hosting and licensing costs are expected to be substantially lower, roughly $30,000 plus an additional cost table license (Marshall & Swift) that the office estimated at about $8,000 in the first year. The office also budgeted for continued, possibly duplicate, costs during the migration year because some older systems must remain active until…