Emporia’s 2026 reassessment sets total assessed value at $481.5 million; five appeals pending

Joyce Prince, Emporia’s Commissioner of the Revenue, briefed Council at the April 11 advance on the 2026 real estate reassessment. She reported a total assessed value of $481,468,800 and said that, at the current tax rate, the reassessment would generate about $4,429,005 in tax revenue.

Prince described the reassessment process, which Emporia conducts every two years and for which the City uses Pearson Appraisal staff (now part of Vision). She said staff held 58 appointments during the reassessment hearing process and that five cases remain pending before the Board of Equalization. Prince encouraged property owners with questions to speak directly with the assessor, saying adjustments can be made if verifiable information about a property was not previously considered.

Council members asked about average changes; Prince said the assessor estimated an average increase near 14 percent but noted that some neighborhoods saw different changes depending on local sales activity.

There were no votes at the advance related to tax rates; any change to the tax rate will be addressed during the formal budget process where council will consider revenue impacts and public input.