County appraiser warns HB 26 44 could swell appeals; commissioners ask for staffing and appeals reforms

Deanna Aspidon, the Sedgwick County appraiser, told commissioners that the office manages more than 239,000 parcels and is operating near capacity on appeals and sales-validation work.

"House Bill 26 44…has the potential to significantly increase appeal volumes," she said, warning that the change could require additional staffing or contingency resources to maintain statutory compliance and timely processing.

Aspidon requested three FTEs in a decision package intended "to restore our staffing levels to the 01/01/2026 baseline" and to sustain inspection and sales-validation performance. She said the requested positions are intended to protect valuation accuracy and public confidence in appraisals.

Commissioners debated near-term approaches. One commissioner suggested a taxpayer's advocate position and a hearing-officer panel to help taxpayers navigate appeals and provide an intermediate public hearing step before state review; that commissioner said the advocate would "be on the taxpayer side fighting for the taxpayer against us" and asked for a one-FTE decision package. Staff agreed to assemble cost scenarios for a hearing officer panel and advocate.

The group also discussed technology options (including pilots of a government-specific AI tool) to improve throughput, but appraiser staff cautioned that appeals work requires experienced staff with years of training and that technology would likely assist only around the margins. Commissioners asked the appraiser for additional data on appeal counts, timelines and options for recording or documenting informal appeals.