DeKalb appraisal office previews C3AI software to speed, standardize valuations; commissioners ask IT review

DeKalb County property appraisal staff and representatives from software vendor C3AI presented an artificial‑intelligence application to the county’s Finance, Audit and Budget Committee on June 16, telling commissioners the product could automate valuations, increase accuracy and reduce the time needed to complete mass appraisals. Commissioners asked for a technical review from the county’s chief technology officer and for budget details before taking procurement action.

Chief Appraiser Fraser Hicks and vendor representatives said C3AI’s property appraisal product automatically computes a value for every parcel in a jurisdiction using trusted data sources such as the county’s internal canvas records, geographic information system data and multiple listing service (MLS) records. Trevor McLaughlin of C3AI described the application as a tool to “make it very transparent” and said it is intended as a human‑in‑the‑loop aid for appraisers rather than a replacement for staff.

C3AI and appraisal staff cited vendor case studies and claims: one county deployment reduced the time to value all parcels by an estimated 75 percent, improved model accuracy by more than 30 percent and reduced the number of models the office needed to maintain; the vendor referenced a five‑year contract with neighboring Cobb County that began in 2024 and listed an approximately $3.0 million contract value. DeKalb appraisal staff said a typical startup and model‑training period can take several weeks up to six months and that, if DeKalb procures the software now, the office would expect to produce values for use in 2026 rather than for the 2025 assessment cycle.

Commissioners asked technical and governance questions. Commissioner Michelle Long Spears and others asked how the system handles outdated or incorrect data and whether model bias or drift could produce unfair valuations. Vendor staff said the product is designed to ingest verified enterprise data sources, to surface data gaps for human review, and to operate with “human in the loop” guardrails and dashboards that highlight outliers. Vendors and staff also described security and compliance measures and said they already meet standards required by large federal and state clients.

Several commissioners asked about fiscal impact and internal savings. Vendor representatives told the committee that other jurisdictions have reported measurable internal savings and modest revenue lifts attributable to more accurate valuations; one example cited a multi‑million‑dollar efficiency estimate for a California deployment, and Cobb County’s contract size was used as a practical procurement comparison. Chief Appraiser Hicks told commissioners the application would allow appraisal staff to cover more parcels without proportionally increasing personnel and would help the office produce a defensible digest more quickly.

Committee members requested additional review before any purchase. Commissioners asked the county chief technology officer to evaluate technical, security and data‑governance aspects and requested that the vendor provide demo materials and documented case studies for distribution to the full board. The appraisal office said the request for funding would be considered as part of upcoming budget discussions (mid‑year or a direct budget amendment) and that staff would bring a formal proposal after the administration and CIO/CTO review the product.

Why this matters: Property valuations drive tax rolls and revenues. The appraisal office said improved accuracy and faster production of the annual digest could reduce appeals, give taxpayers clearer explanations of valuation changes and modestly increase revenue if previously uncounted renovations or market signals are captured in the models.

Next steps: The CTO/IT staff to review technical, security and data‑governance issues; vendor to provide demos, case‑study documentation and a detailed budget proposal for committee and board consideration.