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Bonner County approves $29,000 ValueBase appraisal software after budget condition
Summary
The county assessor won board approval for a one-year ValueBase contract to improve mass-appraisal comparables, contingent on confirmation that vehicle-sale proceeds used to fund it were not already earmarked for vehicle leases.
The Bonner County Board approved a one-year, $29,000 contract with ValueBase on March 24 to support mass-appraisal modeling and produce more consistent comparable-property analyses, but the vote included a contingency: commissioners required confirmation that the unanticipated revenue from assessor vehicle sales was not already committed to vehicle-lease funding.
Assessor Dennis Singleheart (Speaker 6) told the board ValueBase would help staff generate better comparables, prioritize field reviews and produce reports to support appeals. He said the county manages roughly 45,000 parcels and that the software would be paid for with one-time proceeds from surplus vehicle sales. Commissioners pressed for clarity on whether those proceeds had already been earmarked to offset lease costs for recently purchased vehicles. One commissioner proposed a contingent motion: "approve execution of a 1 year agreement with ValueBase in the amount of $29,000 after confirmation is received that the unanticipated vehicle sale revenue ... was not already earmarked"; the motion passed.
Members of the public asked whether ValueBase reports would be available to property owners. The assessor said the system is proprietary and the public will not directly access the platform, but staff can run and provide reports to members of the public on inquiry. A public commenter expressed privacy concerns about aerial imagery and assessment methodology, and the assessor and commissioners emphasized that Idaho statute governs assessment methodology and that the goal is equitable valuation across the county.
The board directed staff to confirm the vehicle-sale accounting and return if there is any conflict; otherwise the contract may be executed and the software implemented on a one-year trial basis to evaluate benefits for appeals and field efficiency.
What happens next: the assessor will confirm the vehicle-sale funding and proceed with a phased implementation if the funds are available as presented.
