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County staff proposes in-house commercial property reevaluation to save on vendor costs
Summary
County staff recommended reclassifying a board-appointed property appraiser position and adding a second in-house appraiser to conduct commercial property reevaluation, arguing it could cost about $120,000 versus $700,000–$1,000,000 to hire outside contractors.
Meriwether County staff asked the Board of Commissioners to reclassify a board-appointed position to a property appraiser role and to create a second property appraiser position so the county can perform commercial property reevaluation in-house rather than hire outside vendors.
Chief appraiser William Harris (introduced in the packet) told commissioners that outside bids for a full commercial reevaluation had failed to materialize and that vendor estimates the county had seen in previous procurement cycles ran “about 700,000 to 1000000 dollars” for a full revaluation. Harris said staff proposes reallocating roughly $120,000 toward two in-house positions so the county can perform valuations over time: “but if we were to reallocate that funds at about a $120,000, which is also in the of memo, $120,000 for 2 new staff members where their sole focus is learning revaluation tag” (staff comment paraphrased from SEG 323–326, SEG 331–337).
Commissioners pressed for budgetary detail and timing. One commissioner noted the difference between a $120,000 in‑house reallocation and vendor estimates near $1 million and asked for a fiscal analysis; staff said the tax digest and millage rate information will be run and a budget analysis returned at a follow-up meeting. The board approved moving the reclassification/recruitment forward in concept and directed staff to provide the requested financial calculations and a precise timeline before finalizing additional hires.
Why it matters: commercial property revaluation can materially change tax assessments and revenue forecasts. The proposal aims to reduce vendor cost and bring technical work inside county control, but the board requested more exact budget figures and impact estimates before committing to additional positions.
