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After repeated public complaints about ‘‘trophy’’ appraisals, commissioners consider outside counsel for commercial assessment appeals
Summary
Multiple public speakers urged Fulton County commissioners to pursue outside legal and appraisal expertise after alleged large gaps between commercial sales and assessed values — speakers cited specific buildings and data centers. Commissioners directed county attorney to return with options; a formal decision was deferred to a follow‑up meeting.
Dozens of Fulton County residents told commissioners on Wednesday that commercial property assessments are materially under‑taxed and urged the county to change how it defends valuations in court.
Several public speakers cited recent high‑value transactions and argued that the county’s assessed values do not reflect sales prices or market evidence. "11 80 Peachtree sold for $472,000,000, and yet it was appraised at 187,000,000," said Chris Roden, a Southeast Atlanta resident who presented screenshots and press releases he said show large discrepancies between reported sales and assessed values.
Speakers pressed the board to hire outside counsel with commercial appraisal expertise and to equip the assessor’s office with specialists for complex asset classes such as data centers, hotels and high‑end office towers. "You have to make a change in the appraiser staff, so that you have people who are good at trophy appraisals," a public speaker told the board, and urged a combination of in‑house capacity and outside counsel to pursue lost revenues.
Board response and next steps Chairman Rob Pitts and several commissioners said they had heard the message. The board discussed directing the county attorney to retain outside counsel for commercial property assessment appeals, but commissioners also noted that procurement and legal strategy raise confidentiality and litigation‑sensitivity issues. The county attorney said the office "will execute the will of the board on this topic" and recommended handling specifics through an executive session or a targeted special meeting to discuss scope and budget.
The board agreed to put the topic on the agenda for a special executive session the following week to consider engagement terms and whether the county attorney should pursue retained counsel immediately.
Why it matters Commercial assessments can represent large untapped tax bases; several speakers estimated that correcting misassessments could generate millions in annual revenue for the county and for overlapping taxing authorities. Commissioners said the issue touches assessor processes, litigation strategy and potential staffing and contracting costs, and they asked for a short, formal proposal outlining legal, appraisal and budget implications before retaining outside counsel.
