The Finance Committee on March 20 approved, as an emergency, the Property Appraiser’s amended budget (item 20‑25‑3‑16) so the office can meet the state Department of Revenue submission deadline.

Kim Taylor, Council Auditor, explained the emergency rationale: the property appraiser’s budget must be submitted to the Department of Revenue by June 1, and the emergency action gives Council an opportunity to weigh in before that deadline. Budget Office staff said the amended schedules correct footnotes and reallocate funding so that software hosting and tangible personal property costs are covered.

Property Appraiser Joyce Morgan briefed the committee on staffing and process changes in her office. Morgan said the office has added three experienced commercial appraisers and has reduced travel and training costs by using online courses; she also said contracting with a vendor for mail‑outs saved the office and the city significant funds. Morgan said the amended budget results in “not much change” overall but allows the office to submit a final budget for the Department of Revenue.

Key amendments and numbers: Staff described a net budget change “a little over $90,000” compared with the current fiscal year budget; the general‑fund subsidy was projected to decrease by about $30,000. The office is unfunding a vacant chief position (roughly $65,000) to cover software hosting for land records and tangible personal property systems. Salaries were shown as decreasing by roughly $263,000 overall compared with the prior year; staff noted prior enhancements and recruitment efforts to retain commercial appraisers.

Vote and next steps: The committee approved the emergency and the amendment and voted to advance the item; the committee recorded the vote as 6 yays, 0 nays and approved item 20‑25‑3‑16. Staff said the office will finalize internal‑service charges and benefits in subsequent budget documents and submit the final budget to the Department of Revenue.

The committee thanked Morgan for the presentation; Morgan said the office would submit the finalized figures to the council and then to the Department of Revenue.