Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Property Appraisal To Begin This Week Across County

A group will be traveling around Nevada County this week appraising property.

This is being done because land in the area hasn't been appraised since 1982 and is out of compliance. Additionally, the state has mandated all counties not in compliance be reappraised under Act 836 of 1997 and Act 1185 of 1999.

In Nevada County, CAMA has been hired to do the work. Jim Williams, project manager, said crews will be making the rounds the area, measuring property and buildings.

However, he said, the workers will not enter any home. All measurements will be done on the outside of structures on land.

Those working with CAMA, Williams said, will be driving vehicles with signs showing this, and will have identification to let owners know who they are and who they work for.

Under the law the property values can't be raised more than 1/3 of the previous assessment unless it's a new addition.

Along with physically measuring land and buildings, the CAMA employees will be doing research checking the records to make sure everything is in agreement.

However, property owners don't have to worry about getting tagged with higher taxes this year. Williams said all owners will be notified by July 1, 2001, of what the new assessment will be.

He said those making on-site visits will judge the quality of construction and estimate the depreciation of the property involved.

This is a joint effort between Nevada County and CAMA. Employees in the Nevada County Assessor's Office will receive training from CAMA on what's being done and how they can continue with the assessments in the future.

The assessor's employees will also be trained on the computer program CAMA uses, which is also the same one the county uses.

Williams said no commercial buildings will be done initially. Residential property will be measured and appraised first, with the commercial property coming later.

As most of the inequality of assessment was found within the city limits of Prescott, this is where the CAMA crews will begin their operations.

Agricultural land will be classified by its usage later on, he added.

"The assessor's office is underfunded," Williams said, "and it's hard to get to all of the property."

CAMA will have 15 appraisers visiting homes in the county, checking to see what changes need to be made on assessments.

This could be a good thing for the city and county, he said, as the valuations of property could go up, thereby bringing more money into the area.

CAMA will be in the area until the job is completed and will defend the values set, Williams said. CAMA's contract with the county expired in November 2001, but the company will be available if needed.

Williams said the company recently completed the reappraisal of Lafayette County and had only four residents go before the equalization board questioning the new assessments.

In addition, he said, the values set will be based on local market rates, not statewide rates as some have thought.

"We've been doing this for 10 years," Williams said, "and want to do a good job." The company has been in business since 1980 and provides computer software for about half the counties in Arkansas.

One of the benefits the county will receive is all records, after the assessing is done, will be computerized from now on.

But, he said, once this appraisal is done, the three-year reappraisal will begin in 2002, finishing in 2005.

CAMA is a private real estate appraisal firm and software development company.

Anyone with questions concerning the appraising can call CAMA at 870-921-5076.