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Cole County approves DevNet contract to add automated appraisal tools
Summary
The Cole County Commission approved a contract with DevNet to add Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) functionality, authorizing a $7,522.20 purchase that county staff said will expand the assessor's ability to generate mass property valuations using sales-comparison, cost and income approaches.
The Cole County Commission on Sept. 23 approved a contract with DevNet to add a Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) module and camera/pricing tool to the county assessor's valuation system, a staff member said.
County staff said the tool will allow the assessor's office to program automated searches for comparable sales, apply standard adjustments for square footage, car storage and lot size, and produce mass valuations more efficiently. The commission approved the contract at a discounted price of $7,522.20.
The assessor's office told commissioners its current confirmed comparable-sales database contained just 180 sales as of August 2025, which staff characterized as a small sample for countywide valuation. The office said Missouri has no statewide certificate-of-value requirement that would otherwise force disclosure of sale prices, so the assessor relies on questionnaires and historical sales data going back to 2021—24 to expand the comparables pool.
Commissioners asked how many sales the assessor receives voluntarily; staff estimated the office is capturing roughly 5% to 10% of annual residential transactions and said the office is revising its questionnaire to make responses easier for sellers and buyers.
Commissioner Tim asked for clarification of the CAMA acronym. County staff responded that CAMA stands for Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal. Jill, a county staff member, confirmed she had reviewed the contract paperwork.
A commissioner moved to approve and execute the DevNet contract; the motion passed on a voice vote.
County staff said the tool would supplement existing cost and income approaches already used by the assessor and described the purchase as a step toward streamlining valuations but did not claim the new system would resolve the county's limited voluntary reporting of sale prices.
The approved contract price and the assessor's description of the limited comparable-sales database were included in materials presented to commissioners during the meeting.
The county will proceed with implementation steps consistent with the assessor's instructions to DevNet.
