Polk County assessor outlines FY2025–26 budget with pay increases, $500,000 for new appraisal software

Polk County Assessor Randy presented a consolidated budget proposal for July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, that includes a proposed 5% cost-of-living adjustment, a 5% merit increase for the assessor and chief deputy, a $500,000 set-aside to buy and install a vendor mass‑appraisal system, and a roughly $310,000 share of a CycloMedia imagery contract to be paid in this fiscal year.

The budget was approved by the Polk County Conference Board after motions to authorize special counsel for pending appeals and to move $500,000 from an unreserved designated fund into an expense line were passed. The board also set a public hearing on the assessor's consolidated budget for March 25 at 4 p.m. and reappointed Donna Kester to another six‑year term on the Board of Review.

Why it matters: The proposal changes several recurring costs and staffing compensation in the assessor's office, shifts an existing designated reserve into operating expense for a software replacement, and authorizes outside legal counsel that could be used in high‑value property appeals.

Randy, Polk County assessor, told the conference board he proposed a 5% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA), which he described in his cover letter as “more like a 3% COLA” plus an additional 2% intended to catch up prior years in which his office received smaller increases than other county employees. He asked separately for a 5% merit increase each for himself and his chief deputy.

On the software replacement, Randy said the…