The County Commission had agreed to a mass revaluation several months ago, but voted Tuesday to reject the two bids – $787,400 by Tyler Technologies in Dayton, Ohio, and $1,423,052 by Technical Appraisal Services in Macon. The commission had to fish or cut bait Tuesday to meet a 60-day deadline for acting on the bids.
“We know where we’re leaving, but we don’t know where we’re going,” commission Chairman Ricky Wolfe said, because the commission has not yet received a plan for implementing technology and staffing upgrades to ensure fair values throughout the county.
A report issued Friday by the tax assessors office and county management recommended new appraisal software and other technology, the filling of a vacant appraiser position and the addition of a full-time tax appraisal mapper and full-time appraiser with commercial and industrial experience.
Annual reports by the state Department of Revenue and Georgia Department of Audits have shown that Troup’s tax values compare favorably to actual sales. But the Revenue Department and a consultant hired by the county, Jim Davis of Macon, said better technology and more staff are needed to ensure fair values going forward.
Wolfe said he believes the recommended improvements, along with changes in management practices, “will be a much better investment of tax dollars than hiring an outside contractor” because the county could be in the same shape five years after a mass reappraisal.
“When we get the plan, we’ll see if it’s adequate to take care of the issues,” he said.
He noted that the Board of Assessors has a new chairman, new chief appraiser and a “new desire to restore credibility with the taxpayers, and we want to help them in any way we possibly can.”
Joel Martin can be reached at jmartin@lagrangenews.com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 235.
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