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Commission defers item on waiver authority for appraisals after concerns; seeks compromise language
Summary
Commissioners debated giving the commission limited authority to waive appraisals on county-owned sites to avoid delays to affordable housing and transit projects. The item was deferred for further work; commissioners asked attorneys and administration to craft language, potentially raising the vote threshold to two-thirds.
Commissioners discussed a draft measure that would give the County Commission authority in certain cases to waive property appraisals on county-owned land to prevent delays on affordable housing and transit projects. After debate about the legal and public-perception risks of waiving appraisals, the commission voted to defer the item so staff and attorneys can craft revised language.
Commissioner Cohen Higgins introduced the item, saying several projects that used county land have been delayed because appraisals were not completed in time. "Right now several years ago this board not our board but previous boards waived its right to weigh in on whether or not an appraisal needed to be waived to accelerate a project," she said, arguing the change was intended to prevent procurement and finance delays that have slowed affordable housing and transit-oriented development projects.
Higgins described cases where projects awarded through procurement were delayed months because the administration had not obtained appraisals; she said one transit-oriented development could not proceed to the Federal Transit Administration approval step because an appraisal was missing. Higgins proposed an authority threshold of majority-plus-one but said she would accept a supermajority requirement.
Other commissioners expressed concern about the optics and risks of waiving appraisals and asked whether there were alternative fixes, such as direction to the mayor's office to expedite appraisals. The vice chair said she favored finding administrative fixes and asked staff to work collaboratively with the sponsor to draft a version the commission could support. The chair and other members asked attorneys to prepare language that would likely require a two-thirds vote when the item returns.
On a motion to defer the item, the commission voted to defer without setting a definite return date; the attorney said the item will return after staff and counsel have had time to propose a compromise resolution. Commissioners asked that any revised language include clear limits and that administration propose methods to prevent future appraisal delays on projects with federal or other time-sensitive funding.
The conversation distinguished between appraisals that are required for purchases or sales and those sought for county-owned land where the county is not buying property. The discussion did not change existing law; it directed staff to draft and return with revised language and potential procedural alternatives.
