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Jones County board introduces Lori Buchanan as finalist for chief appraiser as members praise rapid appraisal-office turnaround
Summary
At its April 2 meeting the Jones County Board of Assessors introduced Lori Buchanan as the finalist for chief appraiser after staff described accelerated progress under Interim Chief Appraiser Mr. Davis; commissioners offered public endorsements.
The Jones County Board of Assessors on April 2 introduced Lori Buchanan as its finalist for the permanent chief appraiser position, following the board’s account of faster-than-expected progress in the appraisal office under interim leadership.
Board members and staff told the meeting they have moved several internal tasks forward over the past 14 months. Interim Chief Appraiser Mr. Davis summarized progress in permit reviews, timber reports and assessment preparations and said technical appraisal services are on track to deliver values to the county by June 1, with 2026 assessment notices scheduled to mail by June 15.
“Lori is one of our own — a Jones County resident — and we’re excited about what she can do for this office,” the chair said while introducing Buchanan. Buchanan responded, “I appreciate that,” when welcomed by board members. A commissioner who spoke later gave a strong endorsement of Buchanan’s career progression and record of work with appraisal services.
Buchanan was described in meeting remarks as having worked in the appraisal industry since 2008 and as a former appraiser in another county assessor’s office who later worked for Technical Appraisal Services. The board said Buchanan has been asked to answer questions tonight as the final candidate for chief appraiser.
Several speakers credited interim leadership and staff for recent improvements. “It’s just shy of amazing to me,” one board member said of the office’s turnaround compared with the prior year. The board also acknowledged outsourcing arrangements to handle business personal property returns and ongoing fieldwork ahead of the 2027 digest.
The meeting did not record a formal vote to hire Buchanan at this session. After introductions and public comment the board moved into an executive session to discuss personnel matters.
What happens next: the board introduced Buchanan and solicited questions and comments at the public meeting; the formal hiring decision was not recorded in the public minutes from this session and remains subject to the board’s next steps following executive-session discussions.
