Assessor urges county to fund EagleView imagery; commissioners weigh cost and alternatives

Sam Kelly, Curry County assessor, told the commission during his annual report that the assessor’s office cannot meet statutory reappraisal obligations with current staff and old imagery and asked the board to consider a countywide contract for high‑resolution imagery.

Kelly presented a vendor proposal that would provide two flights over six years at $105,000 per year (a $634,000 total contract) and said that a one‑inch city / two‑inch rural imagery baseline would allow the office to identify building and parcel changes without costly door‑to‑door reappraisal. "Eagle View saves the county money," Kelly said, arguing the aerial flights are cheaper than hiring many additional appraisers.

He contrasted that proposal with the manpower alternative: hiring additional appraisers would cost an estimated $265,000–$400,000 in salaries alone (depending on the number of hires) plus vehicles and equipment. Kelly said his office currently budgets about $280,000 projected revenue for the reappraisal (one‑percent) fund but that roughly 60% of the fund has been paying salaries and benefits. Under his proposal, some salaries would move back to the general fund to free reappraisal dollars for imagery.

Commissioners challenged the price and urged compromise. Commissioner Martin and others suggested seeking lower‑resolution (and lower‑cost) imagery, asking whether other county departments (sheriff, road, GIS) would share the service and whether other vendors could provide comparable data. "We need to examine, do we need the top grade where you can see what color my toenails are versus just being able to see the actual property roof and that type of stuff," Commissioner Martin said, urging a middle ground on pixel depth and cost.

Manager Powell and staff noted possible cost‑sharing paths: the preliminary budget includes some reappraisal fund changes and there is a $200,000 software/program reserve that could be repurposed if the commission chose to do so; the property tax division also reportedly offers a 0% loan for reappraisal funds, and staff said they would seek alternate vendor quotes and negotiate scope. Several commissioners asked Kelly to solicit quotes from other vendors and to discuss departmental contributions before authorizing any long‑term commitment.

The commission did not vote to contract at the meeting. Kelly said he had requested a quote from EagleView for countywide two‑inch imagery as a lower‑cost option and will pursue additional vendor comparisons and potential shared funding arrangements ahead of the June budget process.

Next steps: the assessor will pursue alternate quotes and the manager's office will identify potential internal contributions and financing options for commissioners to consider in the final budget process.