WASHINGTON CO. APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD APPROVES AGRICULTURAL & WILDLIFE POLICY

  

The Washington County Appraisal District Board of Directors approved a new agricultural and wildlife policy at its meeting Tuesday.

Chief Appraiser Dyann White said some of the notable changes to the policy include that smaller tracts of land may now qualify for agricultural appraisal if used with larger overall operations, and they do not have to be connected to one another to qualify.

In addition, the appraisal district will no longer require a minimum number of bales per year for hay producers, because of different areas producing different amounts of hay due to soil, topography or other factors.

Another change is that wildlife owners will not need to file a new wildlife plan every five years, or an annual report.  Instead, according to White, the appraisal district will inspect property onsite once every three years, the same process used for all other property inspections.  White said the new policy “puts the burden of inspection on the appraisal district rather than requiring additional paperwork from the owner.”

Also on Tuesday, the board approved the purchase of new appraisal software from Harris Govern for $738,352.  The purchase includes the software and professional services to convert the appraisal district’s existing database to the new system.

White said the appraisal district will pay $100,000 down with surplus funds saved from prior years, and the remaining amount will be financed over a five-year period at an estimated annual payment of just under $140,000.  She said it has been 20 years since the district’s last software purchase or upgrade.  The software is expected to go live in late 2022 or early 2023.

The board also received the 2020-21 audit, as well as the 2021 annual and mass appraisal reports.