Dozens of Amherst County residents pressed the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 2 over a new real‑estate reassessment that many called inaccurate and financially burdensome.

Several speakers gave detailed examples of large increases. Ron Fisher, co‑owner of Pleasant View Ventures, said his property’s overall assessment rose 790% and the building assessment rose 1,061% to $3,648,000 while major portions of the facility remain under renovation and the property has produced virtually no income. "This is not a difference of opinion. It is a factual miscalculation," Fisher said, and said he had an appeal appointment scheduled.

Other residents described parcel and GIS errors they say produced anomalous valuations; David Nash said the county GIS system appeared to have cross‑referenced acreage, producing inconsistent assessment changes between neighboring properties. Several speakers — including mortgage lender Stephanie Tomlin — urged using more local appraisers or moving to an in‑house assessment model.

The board emphasized procedural steps: the reassessment follows the Virginia Code requirement to assess at fair market value, and the county contracted an assessor through an RFP process (county staff said Pearson, now part of Vision Government Services, was chosen because of hybrid field-and-technology methods and experience in Virginia). The board repeatedly told residents that an increase in assessed value does not automatically equal an increase in tax bills; the board will set the tax rate during the budget process in late winter or early spring.

Officials also reiterated the appeals path: residents can schedule appointments with assessor staff (the county said Dec. 10 is the last day to call for an appointment though staff will continue to work with residents), then may appeal to the Board of Equalization and ultimately to circuit court. The county noted it will review apparent GIS anomalies and field adjustments reported by homeowners.

Board members and staff acknowledged "sticker shock" and said they will consider communications and timing changes for future reassessments. The board approved a reallocation of $200,000 from unobligated funds into the current fiscal year to cover reassessment contract costs, mailing charges and Board of Equalization fees while noting the reassessment contract total is $529,231.