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Tax assessor details staff shortages, backlog and steps to catch up in Williamsburg County
Summary
County tax assessor Miss Ackerman told council the office has one licensed appraiser, a mapping backlog and 37,000 parcels to manage; the office has added part-time retired staff and cross-training to reduce delays and aims to issue tax bills in October.
Miss Ackerman, Williamsburg County’s tax assessor, told council she is working to clear a backlog caused by retirements and understaffing and outlined steps taken to restore timely assessments and tax-bill processing.
Ackerman said the office lost several key staff after 2020 and had only one field appraiser for a period. She reported the office manages roughly 37,000 parcels and said Department of Revenue guidance recommends roughly one appraiser per 5,000 parcels. "We have over 37,000 parcels," she said, and added that the office is using retired former employees, cross-training staff, hiring data collectors and pursuing contractual help for large commercial valuations.
Ackerman described mapping and new-construction pickups as principal causes of backlog. She said the office is cross-training employees to ensure continuity of data entry and permit processing, and that two part-time retired appraisers have been hired to perform data collection and help the office while they pursue license reinstatement. She described recruitment challenges: low market availability of licensed appraisers and salary competition from private-sector work.
Council members asked for clarity on staffing needs and whether the county should advertise for more appraisers or increase pay. Ackerman responded that the office has open positions and has tried to make positions more competitive, and that training new appraisers in-house is possible but takes time because licensing requires experience.
Why it matters: accurate and timely property assessments underpin local revenue and budgeting. Council members emphasized that improving assessor capacity affects the county’s ability to collect revenue and set a balanced budget.
What happens next: Ackerman said the office expects to have tax bills ready for release in October and will continue recruitment, cross-training and contracting to eliminate the backlog; council members suggested considering additional hires or budget adjustments to retain staff.
