Montgomery County commissioners approved in a 3-2 vote on Aug. 13 a $1.62 million budget increase for the Montgomery County Appraisal District following discourse over the appraisal process and funding.
Two-minute impact
MCAD board member Arthur Bredehoft, Deputy Chief Appraiser Jake Martinez and Montgomery County Tax Assessor-Collector Tammy McRae presented the fiscal year 2025 budget to commissioners on Aug. 13, requesting approval for the increase to keep up with population increases in the county. The fiscal year runs from January to December.
The largest increases in the budget include:
- 6 new appraisers and 1 new IT position
- Higher litigation and Appraisal Review Board costs
- Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal software implementation
The CAMA software implementation is a four-year process that will incur costs through 2028, officials said. In FY 2025, the CAMA software will cost $956,024, Bredehoft said.
Breaking down the numbers
With the approval for the budget increase secured, the MCAD budget has increased by 26% since FY 2023. Interim Chief Appraiser Sherry Hunter oversees the district following the termination of former Chief Appraiser Janet Jennings-Doyle in April.
Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack and Precinct 4 Commissioner Matt Gray argued against the budget approval due to concerns over the rapid increases.
“If you can ask for a 26% increase in your budget in a two-year period, I think you can also suggest some ways in which you can be a better proponent of the taxpayers of Montgomery County by saying, for example, ... we'll only reappraise every two years,” Noack said.
However, MCAD board member Clint McClaren said the appraisal district has not had sufficient resources to keep up with the county population, which has increased to 711,000 since 2020, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
“[MCAD resources] already was behind, way behind. That's why there's such a need for catching up,” McClaren said. “You can put it in perspective these last two years, ... but when you've been behind for eight years, that number is barely getting you to catching you up.”
In their words
“As the county continues to grow, we have a need for additional resources and people to support our mission called appraisal,” Bredehoft said.
“I just wanted the court to consider that the average experience with the new workforce has dropped about five years, but we're in the process of rebuilding that,” Martinez said. “This budget helps us rebuild that, and the support of this court would go a long way in a partnership.”
