Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Property Taxation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves one‑year appraisal contract and $50,000 PO to address tax office permit backlog
Summary
Facing a backlog of new‑construction permits that must be appraised for the tax roll, commissioners approved a one‑year contract with Vincent Valuations LLC for appraisal services and a $50,000 purchase order for the remainder of FY25 to help clear the backlog and support the Board of Equalization and Review.
Pender County commissioners voted on April 22 to authorize a one‑year contract with Vincent Valuations LLC to provide appraisal and new‑construction inspection services for the tax office and approved a $50,000 purchase order for the remainder of fiscal 2025 to fund the work.
County staff described a backlog of building permits that must be inspected and entered on the tax rolls; Ryan Vincent of Vincent Valuations told the board the firm handles new‑construction appraisals and appeals processing. Staff said the county receives roughly 7,500 permits annually and that backlog growth averages about 500 permits per month when work is not kept current. At the time of the meeting staff estimated an outstanding backlog of permits on the order of approximately 1,400 that require attention.
Two contracting approaches were presented: (a) a multi‑year professional services contract with staged annual not‑to‑exceed amounts and (b) a one‑year contract (the option commissioners approved) with an annual not‑to‑exceed amount of $400,000 for up to 7,500 permits. County manager and staff said the contract model also provides appraisal expertise to support appeals, field visits, hearings and staff training while the county recruits permanent appraisal staff; staff further said in‑house hiring might eventually be less costly but that the current labor market is tight for experienced appraisers.
Commissioners debated cost, continuity and the difficulty of recruiting qualified tax administrators and appraisers; staff said a cost comparison showed a potential $100,000 savings under a three‑year contracted plan versus hiring four in‑house positions, but emphasized that finding qualified applicants to hire in‑house is difficult in the current market.
After discussion the board approved a purchase order increase of $50,000 for appraisal services for the remainder of FY25 and authorized entering into the one‑year contract with Vincent Valuations LLC (not‑to‑exceed $400,000 for the year) to address the permit backlog and assist with the upcoming Board of Equalization and Review activity.
Staff will continue recruitment for permanent appraisal staff, monitor backlog reduction, and report progress to the board.
