County appraiser details valuation work, appeals process and public outreach

Brad Eldridge, Douglas County appraiser, told commissioners the appraiser—s office is responsible for discovering, listing and valuing roughly 42,000 real-property parcels using a January 1 effective date for values.

Eldridge said the county saw a median residential value increase of about 4% this year and that commercial increases were somewhat higher. "We had a median increase of about 4 percent this year on residential," he said. He explained the office is now receiving appeals following mailed value notices and that the appeal filing deadline is the 30th of the month referenced in the meeting.

Eldridge described staffing and technology accomplishments: the office recently added staff, uses mobile and mapping technology to inspect properties, and reported a 97% compliance score from the state last year. He said staff reviewed or visited about 17,000 properties last year and that 11 of 15 staff hold appraisal designations or certifications.

On public engagement, Eldridge described recent and planned outreach sessions to help taxpayers understand valuations and the appeal process, including an in-person walk-in session scheduled for a Monday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. He said such efforts aim to make appeals more accessible and to improve transparency about how values are determined.

Eldridge warned that proposed state value-cap legislation could increase administrative costs and complexity if enacted. He said some bills were not passed on recent votes and that any new statutory caps would require software and administrative changes.

Commissioners thanked Eldridge for increased public engagement and staff work supporting transparency.