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Tax equalization office plans staffing, contract changes as Horace growth strains county capacity
Summary
Tax equalization staff announced a new appraiser hire starting Oct. 6, said this year will be a light reassessment focused on staff training, and proposed contract-model changes for city and township assessing work as Horace’s growth increases county workload.
The county tax equalization office told commissioners it will onboard a new tax appraiser on Oct. 6, intends a lighter reassessment year to prioritize staff training and presented a new fee model to collect more revenue from growing jurisdictions.
The presenter said the office will initially assign the new hire to residential assessment work and later consider shifting existing staff into commercial appraisal roles. The office indicated it may hire another position by 2027 to meet rising workload. The presenter said their proposal replaces a flat contract fee with a model based on a percentage of a jurisdiction’s true and full assessed value, so higher-value jurisdictions would pay more.
The discussion focused on Horace, a fast-growing city that the presenter said accounts for roughly one-third of the county’s assessed value while representing about one-quarter of parcel accounts. Commissioners and staff discussed thresholds and timing for when a municipality must petition to operate its own assessing office; the transcript referenced Century Code and earlier rotational minutes but did not identify a firm statutory threshold for taking over local assessing duties. One participant said Century Code requires policies for special assessments when a jurisdiction reaches 10,000 residents, but the transcript did not establish an automatic assessor threshold tied to population or assessed value.
Commissioners urged early outreach to Horace and other jurisdictions to coordinate staffing and contracting decisions; one commissioner suggested a round-table with Horace to get longer-term growth projections to inform the county’s hiring plan. The presenter said the office is revisiting contracts for 2026 and expects to recoup roughly $50,000 of increased mailing costs through revised agreements, but said contract terms remain open.
No formal vote or motion was taken during the discussion; commissioners and staff agreed to follow up with additional meetings and consultations with the state and the county attorney’s office where needed.
