Alamance County approves full on‑site reappraisal contract with Vincent Valuations for roughly $2.57M

Alamance County commissioners authorized staff to proceed with a full on‑site reappraisal and to retain Vincent Valuations LLC to carry out a turnkey revaluation process estimated at $2,574,000, county tax staff told the board.

Tax office staff explained that state law requires counties to conduct reappraisals at least every eight years and that many growing counties move to more frequent cycles; the county's last full measure‑and‑list reappraisal appears to have been in 1993, staff said, leaving the county more than 30 years since a complete on‑site measuring list.

Officials described a turnkey contract from Vincent Valuations that would include field data collection, appraisal, appeals handling and delivery of mass appraisal results keyed into the county's CAMA system. The county currently has roughly 76,000 parcels in its tax database, staff said; the $2,574,000 estimate is the total contract amount for the full project, and staff noted a recurring budget set‑aside would be needed to cover the work over the contract period. The county has set aside $1,000,000 in the current fiscal year toward revaluation costs.

County staff explained the advantages of outsourcing: a turnkey vendor brings experienced data collectors, appraisers and reviewers and avoids hiring dozens of temporary employees and paying fringe benefits. Vincent Valuations staff said they would phase the team according to project stages and that the county would retain ownership of the keyed data; vendor staff confirmed they will key results into the county's system and that invoicing will be progress‑based.

Commissioners pressed staff on operational details (how many data collectors are needed, whether county assessors will assist, timing and the appeals workload). Staff said a full measure and list would typically require a larger field team during the collection phase and that some county staff would continue day‑to‑day appraisal and permit work; staff estimated the contract would be staged so a peak field crew is present only during the intensive data‑collection months. A motion to proceed with a full on‑site reappraisal and retain Vincent Valuations was seconded and approved by voice vote (tally not specified on the record).

Supporters argued that better parcel data can reveal previously unrecorded improvements and increase the tax base; commissioners discussed the possibility that improved valuations could materially increase assessed value countywide and offset part of the reappraisal cost.

Next steps: staff will work with legal counsel to finalize the contract with Vincent Valuations and return to the board for a formal approval of contract language and payments schedule.