Jacksonville Value Adjustment Board defers five cases, approves 249 special magistrate recommendations; sets meeting time, hears petition totals

Jacksonville — The City of Jacksonville Value Adjustment Board (VAB) on Jan. 16 deferred five petition cases for additional legal review and approved 249 special magistrate recommended decisions by voice vote, the board chair announced at the start of the meeting.

Tiffany Pinkstaff, Office of General Counsel for the Property Appraiser’s Office, told the board the five petitions pulled for ratification “have some different issues to be fleshed out, from a legal standpoint,” and asked that each be considered through the usual process in which petitioners may respond and the attorney magistrate issues a recommendation at the following meeting.

The deferral motion carried by voice vote. The board then approved the remaining special magistrate recommended decisions that were distributed in advance. Board members said the packet originally contained 254 recommended decisions; after the five deferrals the board voted to approve the 249 recommendations.

The board also approved the Sept. 12, 2024, organizational meeting minutes by voice vote earlier in the session.

In other business, Mary Anne Lemire, chief of legislative services and serving as interim VAB clerk under a council president memorandum, was confirmed by the chair as the interim clerk until the City Council appoints a permanent director; no formal vote on the clerk designation was recorded during the meeting.

Heather Pellegrin, Assistant Chief (Property Appraiser’s Office), provided an update on petition counts for 2024. Pellegrin said total petitions filed as of Jan. 14 were 5,642, including 92 late-filed petitions and 5,550 filed on time. She told the board that total petitions for 2023 were 4,448.

The board discussed adjusting its regular meeting time. After brief remarks about members’ schedules, members indicated consensus to move meetings from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; the Property Appraiser’s Office staff said it will issue an amended meeting notice and update the board’s website and the recommended-decision notices to reflect the new time.

There were no public comments at the meeting.

The board adjourned after roughly nine minutes of recorded discussion.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve the Sept. 12, 2024, organizational meeting minutes — approved by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

- Motion to defer five VAB petitions listed on the agenda for further legal review — approved by voice vote (mover/second not recorded in the transcript).

- Motion to approve 249 special magistrate recommended decisions (packet originally contained 254; five deferred) — approved by voice vote (no roll call recorded).