Auditor wins approval to hire contractor to audit homestead exemptions; vendor fee corrected to 40%

Jefferson County commissioners approved a contract with Tax Management Associates to audit homestead exemptions and identify properties with potentially ineligible claims.

The county auditor said the vendor has access to national databases and can identify situations where an owner files tax or voting information in another state while claiming a local homestead exemption. The auditor described the arrangement as a contingency recovery contract and corrected an earlier figure, stating the vendor's fee is "40% of what is recovered." The auditor said recovered funds go into the county's ineligible homestead fund to support auditor operations and continued enforcement.

The auditor described past recoveries as modest but meaningful: the office identified two ineligible homesteads in a previous cycle and collected about $8,500 to add to the fund. The auditor emphasized local discretion: if the auditor and county determine a reported ineligible case was actually a county error, the county retains authority to decline billing.

Commissioners motioned and approved the contract in open session.

Why it matters: The contract creates a structured, contingent approach to recover property tax revenue lost to improper homestead claims and provides additional operating revenue to the auditor's office while keeping final billing decisions local.