MOULTRIE — Last week the Colquitt County Commission kicked-off its round of budget meetings for Fiscal Year 2026. One of the departments to present its budget, the Colquitt County Board of Tax Assessors, drew particular interest. Chief Appraiser Jim Mac Booth told the commissioners that he needed tablet computers for his staff of assessors so they could stay out in the field and see more parcels every day.

He said he spoke with another county’s chief appraiser, who told him the tablets his staff used were $1,500 apiece. Also, the computer program was $5,000 per year. Booth said he needed five tablets.

“So, the initial outlay of $7,500 and then, $5,000 yearly, after that,” he said and added that it wasn’t in his budget so he would like to amend his budget to include the expense.

County Administrator Chas Cannon asked him what was the benefit to having the tablets.

“That would mean that instead of going out and seeing five or six (properties) in the morning and then coming back and doing the paperwork in the afternoon on those five or six … We’re doing paperwork twice. We’re doing it in the field and then in the office. With the tablets, we do the paperwork in the field, as we see it,” Booth replied.

He also said they could download 20 or 30 parcels into the tablet at a time. Then, they go see as many as they could in a day. Then, he said, they could go back to the office in the afternoon and download them into the system.

“It’ll be one time entering it and that will save a lot of time,” Booth said.

Cannon asked if he had five appraisers on his staff. Booth said that he had four. He then, added, that the fifth tablet he was requesting would be for him to go in and check the appraisers’ work.

Commissioner Paul Nagy asked, “How many appraisers do you rate?’

Booth responded that he could have six appraisers on his staff.

“The reason why I asked. The conversation we had last fall sometime, you said one of the reasons that you were behind is you could use one or two more appraisers. And I’m looking up here, ‘no new position requests,’” said Nagy indicating and reading from the Board of Tax Assessors’s budget displayed on a screen.

County Commissioner Mike Boyd had asked Booth at a meeting in July of last year if his staff was appraising 33% of the properties in Colquitt County each year, which is a requirement under a state law passed last year. Booth replied that he didn’t have the manpower. He said, they appraise, physically, probably 10%.

“So, it takes ten years to make the rounds would that be right,” asked Boyd, at the time, and Booth said with their current staff it did.

In August 2024, Nagy had brought up the question again about what percentage of the properties were being appraised each year.

“You said that you’re going out and actually assessing roughly 10% of the houses each year?” Nagy had asked at the meeting. “I think that’s what I heard at the last meeting.”

Booth said, at the time, with appeals, sales and splits, that was approximately what they did each year.

“There’s not enough hours in the day to see a third of the county every year,” Booth also said.

Nagy said at that meeting that he knew the budget was already done but he thought that they should look at what they could do, the following year to help Booth’s office. Since that’s the budget now under consideration, the issue came back up.

In last week’s meeting, Booth said this was the reason they were looking at getting the tablets. Nagy asked him if he thought they would solve the problem.

“I think the tablets will, between two guys, they would be able to take-up what two more pencil and paper appraisers would do, I believe,” he responded.

Back in the August meeting, Booth had told the commissioners that a state review indicated, “We were down two field appraisers. What the State recommends.”

Booth said, at the time, they couldn’t check every house every three years because it was just physically impossible. However, he said, they did check every sale, even if it was just an empty lot.

At last week’s meeting, Boyd asked, “If you’re doing five or six a day, without the tablets, how many do you expect to do with the tablets?”

Booth responded they could do about twice the number. Then, Boyd asked him if they were going to do 12 a day.

“I believe they could do 12 a day, easily,” he replied.

Nagy asked Cannon how much money a year would it be if they added two more appraisers. He said more than $100,000.

“The reason why I’m concerned about it. We’ve been through this twice. He fights to keep up, gets behind, finally catches up reappraising property and ‘boom’ there’s a big spike in property values. And even though we’re cutting the millage, people are still getting big raises in their taxes, at once, instead of slowly climbing. This has happened twice now,” Nagy said.

Commissioner Marc DeMott said, “There’s a new law, now. They have to be done every three years.”

In November of last year, Georgia voters passed an amendment that included a requirement that every parcel in the state be appraised at least every three years.

Boyd asked Booth if it was correct that the new law said he had to appraise 33% of the properties every year. He responded, he believed so.

“You’re doing, how many a year, now?” Boyd followed up with the question and Booth replied maybe 15% of the properties in Colquitt County.

Nagy said he thought the tablets were a great idea but he didn’t know if they would make up the difference.

“But it will show that we are trying …. and if we do need to increase we can,” Booth said. “I don’t wanna just try to jump out there and increase. If I hire anybody, I still got to spend the time to train them.”

“How many total parcels do you have in the county,” Boyd asked him.

Booth responded that there were approximately 26,600 parcels in Colquitt County.

Cannon asked him if the Board of Assessors was good with him purchasing the tablets. Booth replied they loved the idea.

“Because they have to keep up with so much paperwork, as it is,” he added.

Nagy told Booth that if he hired one or two more people he would have to train them but, over the course of the year, he would save a lot of time.

“Because that guy’s gonna be getting a lot of stuff done that we ain’t getting done, right now,” he said.

Then, Nagy asked if the Board of Assessors had said anything about the issue of needing the extra two assessors. Booth responded, “No.”

“I’ve brought it up with them. I’ve told them we needed help one way or another. Either tablets or people and they’re … ‘We’ll put it off. We’ll think about it.’,” he replied.

Cannon suggested Booth try the tablets for six months and then report back to the commissioners in January.

“I’m willing to wait ’til January to see what this does. Honestly, I don’t know if it’s gonna solve the problem,” said Nagy.