Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Property Tax topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Assessor reports $529M bump in assessed value; outlines expanded inspections and staffing needs
Summary
City Assessor Richard McKeithen said targeted field inspections and data corrections yielded about $529 million more in assessed value than projected (roughly 6.7% over projection). He described an outreach plan that includes letters, optional interior inspections, and use of imagery software (Pictometry); council members urged staff increases and a revised effective date for the land book to improve budget accuracy.
Richard McKeithen, the city assessor, told council his office has begun targeted field inspections in neighborhoods where past assessments appeared inconsistent and described an outreach process that includes advance letters and appraiser contact information so citizens can request interior inspections. "When an area has been targeted, what we do is I have the assessor, the appraiser from that area, go out door to door, and attempt to make an inspection of the property," he said, noting homeowners are under no obligation to allow interior inspections.
McKeithen reported the office wound up with roughly $529,000,000 more in assessed value than projected as of July 1 (about 6.7% above the January projection). He recommended moving the assessment effective date later (from mid-March toward mid-April) to allow more fieldwork before the land book closes and urged investment in tools such as Pictometry. Council members said better assessment accuracy could have allowed deeper tax-rate rollbacks last budget cycle and urged a multi-year staffing plan for the assessor's office.
