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Emery County board approves valuation corrections after mass‑appraisal software error
Summary
The Emery County Board of Equalization unanimously approved corrections to 2026 property valuations after the assessor's office found errors in the county's mass‑appraisal (PUMA) system that mainly affected home values, particularly manufactured homes; corrected notices will be mailed and owners have 45 days to appeal.
Emery County's Board of Equalization on Aug. 4 approved a set of corrections to 2026 property valuations after the assessor's office discovered errors in its computer‑assisted mass appraisal program. The board voted to accept the assessor's manual corrections and to mirror a separate adjustment the State Tax Commission submitted for Pacific Corp properties.
"So with our computer assisted mass appraisal program, there was an error," Chris Bell of the assessor's office said during the meeting, describing days of manual work to locate and correct affected parcels. Bell and other staff said the problem altered many home values after valuation notices were sent and that staff ran reports and fixed parcels individually.
The assessor's office described a net positive change of about $2,427,082 after offsets, though individual parcels showed both increases and decreases. Staff warned that some reductions were large enough to affect homeowners' escrow accounts and monthly mortgage payments if not corrected. "One of the reasons it needed to be fixed is a lot of homes have their escrow in with their house payments," Bell said.
Board members and staff said a corrected valuation notice will trigger a 45‑day window during which property owners may appeal the change. Brenda Tuttle of the Clerk/Auditor's Office said staff must prepare individualized letters for each parcel because the system will not auto‑generate the required notice, which affects timing for appeals.
Commissioner Jensen moved to approve the 2026 PUMA corrections and the State Tax Commission adjustments for Pacific Corp properties; Commissioner Leonard seconded. The board voted in favor of the motion; the correction was adopted by the commissioners present.
Staff said they will work with programmers to prevent a recurrence of the error and encouraged residents to review valuation notices and contact the assessor's office or Commissioner Jensen with questions. The meeting concluded after the vote.
