Meriwether County moves to bring commercial property revaluation in-house, approves reclassification and recruitment

The Meriwether County Board of Commissioners voted July 28 to reclassify an existing board-appointed position as a property appraiser under the Board of Tax Assessors and to permit recruitment to begin, with staff tasked to return cost analyses and revenue estimates at a later work session.

Staff presented the request after competitive procurements for a commercial property reevaluation returned few or no bids. Chief Appraiser William Harris, introduced by staff, told the board that vendor estimates he has seen in the past were “about 700,000 to 1000000 dollars” to perform a full commercial reevaluation externally, while moving two positions in-house could be funded for roughly $120,000 in personnel costs. He said an in-house approach would also make assessments “more fair” and better align commercial infrastructure valuations.

Commissioners debated timing and budgetary impact. One commissioner said they expected a significant return in tax revenue from updated valuations and pressed staff for data to justify adding positions; staff replied they would run financial analyses and return results after the August work session. The board approved reclassifying one budgeted position and allowed recruitment to proceed for that post, with staff to provide a fuller budget impact and a decision on a possible second hire during the next budget cycle.

Actions taken include a motion to approve reclassification and allow recruitment for the property appraiser position; the motion carried. Staff noted the Board of Tax Assessors retains authority to carry out in-house reappraisals and will coordinate the technical and fiscal analysis needed for any further personnel changes.