Assessor, GIS, elections and IT present routine office updates; vote-by-mail and server backup needs highlighted

Multiple county offices gave routine operational updates during the meeting.

Jennifer (assessor) said the county published its 2025 assessment notices on Dec. 31 and submitted the required abstract to the Department of Revenue; the county received a tentative 2025 state equalization factor of 1.0. She reminded the board that the filing deadline for board of review appeals is Jan. 30 and that staff are preparing appeal documentation and hearing schedules.

Sammy (GIS) described parcel data maintenance (processing November splits and combinations), updates to zoning and land-use mapping, support for public-safety GIS datasets (NG911/911), address assignment assistance, a dispatch map produced for the Lee County Council on Aging, and outreach to municipalities to participate in the Census Bureau's consolidated boundary and annexation survey (CBAS).

Nancy (elections) noted preparations for the March 17 election, said vote-by-mail ballots will begin mailing Feb. 5, and reported about 1,000 voters are signed up for permanent vote-by-mail. She encouraged recruitment of election judges and reminded listeners that unused mailed ballots impose costs on the county when sent unnecessarily.

Paul (IT) said he is installing new network equipment and servers, upgrading storage for detectives' digital evidence, and preparing a GIS server for Sammy. He also raised repeated local power interruptions that damaged UPS units and said he will propose capital expenditures for additional line-conditioning and battery backup equipment to protect critical systems.

No board action followed from these updates; each office will continue routine preparations and return with follow-up where required.