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County assessor asks for 36% budget boost to clear valuation backlog and add appraisers
Summary
Assessor Carrie Ann Noltner told supervisors a long backlog of permits and under‑valued improvements requires four new staff, office renovation, a vehicle, and equipment; she estimated a two‑year stabilization plan and requested funding to bring staffing and systems up to statutory workload demands.
Carrie Ann Noltner, La Paz County assessor, told the Board her office faces a multi‑year backlog of permits and staffing constraints that have left the county with unrealized property value. To address it she proposed a stabilization plan that includes hiring four full‑time equivalent positions, an office renovation for staff safety and training, a replacement vehicle for field inspections and upgraded electronics.
"We are past the point, that the system can sustain itself," Noltner said, urging supervisors to view the request as an investment that could enable lower tax rates in the future by capturing previously unvalued improvements. She presented data showing roughly 1,700 outstanding permits in February 2026 (up from about 1,500 in 2025) and estimated the assessor’s two‑year budget plan represents a 36% increase. The request included two appraisers, two property assessment technicians, laptops and training, and $75,000 in a restricted legal contingency for appeals.
Why it matters: assessor staff said a small, fully certified appraisal team produced disproportionately large valuation increases during focused field work (one two‑day field push added roughly $3 million to the tax roll). They argued smaller counties need higher per‑parcel staffing because of statutory requirements and labor‑intensive processes. The assessor warned continued understaffing risks audit and service issues and makes it harder to respond to statutory deadlines.
Board reaction: supervisors asked about turnover and whether hiring alone would solve the backlog; the assessor said past plans failed in part because of limited leadership and training, and that the current leadership team had used data to craft a realistic timeline. Supervisors also discussed cross‑departmental system integration (assessor, recorder, community development) as a longer‑term solution that is not fully in the assessor’s budget.
Next steps: the assessor asked to be funded for FY27 as proposed and requested quarterly reporting to the Board on progress if funding is approved.
