Assessor warns of large backlog and $35.5 billion ‘value at risk’ in appeals; clerk says progress made

The county’s Assessor told the Finance and Government Operations Committee on April 15 that an expanding backlog of assessment appeals poses an “unacceptable financial risk” to Santa Clara County, cities and schools. Assessor Larry Stone and his senior staff described multiple operational and information‑sharing problems with the Clerk of the Board’s appeals scheduling system and requested board direction to restore pre‑existing agenda functions and dashboards.

Why it matters: Assessment appeals affect the tax roll, potential refund liabilities and the county’s revenue stream that supports schools and local services. The Assessor quantified a rapidly rising workload and urged the committee to act to reduce scheduling delays and restore data transparency between offices.

What the Assessor reported

County Assessor Larry Stone told the committee processing and scheduling assessment appeals must be “accurate, efficient and, most importantly, timely.” Stone said his office…