Rules Committee moves forward appointments and explains new Board 3 to reduce appeals backlog

The Rules Committee took up Items 8–10 together to fill seats on the three Assessment Appeals Boards and to operationalize a newly reconstituted Board 3 designed to accelerate hearings.

Don Duran, administrator for the Assessment Appeals Board office, explained that the three-board structure divides jurisdiction by property type and value: Boards 1 and 2 handle larger and commercial cases (with jurisdictional cutoffs) while the recently reconstituted Board 3 will be staffed primarily by hearing officers to address a residential backlog. Duran said the office has been averaging about 6,000 appeals a year and stressed the statutory two-year window to schedule and decide appeals: "We have 2 years from the date an application is filed to schedule a hearing and render a decision," he said. The office expects evening hearings for Board 3 beginning in December to increase capacity.

More than a dozen applicants with appraisal, real-estate, CPA and legal backgrounds introduced themselves and explained how their experience would help the appeals process. The chair proposed seat assignments across Boards 1, 2 and 3 to move the panels toward quorum and begin operations for evening hearings.

The committee approved the recommended reassignments and forwarded the appointments to the full Board, with chair comments prioritizing getting Board 3 operational to shorten taxpayer wait times for hearings.