Appraisers say inspections and late data drove large valuation changes; board approves corrected protest report

Great Plains Appraisal presented the board with findings from the 2026 property valuation protest process, saying inspection and verified sales drove many of the changes the board reviewed and that the system now includes more referee feedback sent with final-value letters. Cody Girdis, speaking for Great Plains, said the assessor’s office had been able to verify some large commercial sales and adjust valuation models accordingly; he cited a roughly $7,000,000 change tied to Gateway Mall and said other large adjustments resulted from newly available sale and appraisal data.

Girdis described process improvements — including an automated referee recommendation sheet sent with final letters and more transparent notes — designed to give property owners clearer reasons for valuation changes. Commissioners pressed staff about timing, noting some assessor updates were submitted late in the agenda preparation process; Girdis explained those timing constraints and recommended a debrief with the clerk and assessor's office to refine workflow. The board approved the report with a specific motion to set case number 26-00676 to a new valuation of $231,400.

"We were able to talk to both the assessor, to the clerk, to the property representative, to understand that sale," Girdis said of a commercial transaction the appraisers had verified. He also noted that referee reports will now be sent out with final-value letters to improve transparency.