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Board presses for access to valuation cost tables; staff says some fields are in proprietary software
Summary
Members asked to see the valuation cost tables and base Marshall & Swift/PK codes used to value garages, pools, and other structures; staff said the software displays values via dropdowns and cost tables are not directly printable, and the board scheduled an in-office review and possible follow-up with PK.
At the July 21 session board members pressed staff for the underlying cost tables and code definitions used to calculate property components such as detached garages, sheds, and pools.
Member Luke Srey described repeated requests over six months for the cost codes and said the board is entitled to see the base values used to generate property cards. "When you type in GFL, it doesn't say 111 anywhere," a member said while the group examined an example. Board members walked through a code-lab example during the meeting: GFL (garage with finished loft) was discussed as having a starting value (participants calculated a $111 starting value and an adjusted price shown as about $83.62 per square foot after condition/depreciation factors were applied).
Director of Assessing Denise Ellis explained practical limits: the valuation program uses dropdown menus and preprogrammed cost tables maintained in proprietary software, which staff can view but cannot easily print as a single export. She offered in-office walkthroughs and suggested the board meet in the assessor’s office (with the vendor PK or by staff demonstration) so members could see how the data appear in the system.
Members pressed for transparency and proposed dividing the code-review work among themselves so they can compare property cards and identify discrepancies. The board asked staff to schedule a hands-on session in early August and to invite PK (the valuation vendor) if necessary.
