Appraiser III or IV

Salary : Depends on Qualifications

Location : Athens, GA

Job Type : Full Time

Job Number : 2025-1703, 1803

Department : Tax Assessor

Division : TAX ASSESSOR

Opening Date : 08 / 28 / 2025

Closing Date : Continuous

Purpose & Job Related Requirements

The Tax Assessor's Office is seeking an Appraiser to join their team. The successful candidate may be hired in at Appraiser level III (Pay Grade 117) or Appraiser level IV (Pay Grade 118), depending on qualifications.

REPORTS TO : Department Supervisors (varies)

FLSA STATUS : Exempt - Administrative

CLASSIFICATION : Personnel System - Requires satisfactory completion of a six month probationary period

PAY GRADE : 117, 118

SAFETY SENSITIVE : No

Purpose of Job

Appraiser III : Salary for Appraiser III (Pay Grade 117) : $52,980 - $63,112 DOQ The purpose of this job is to make field appraisals of the more difficult and complex residential and light commercial properties using the most appropriate of the three approaches to value. Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, gathering records; analyzing and maintaining a variety of data, selling and asking prices, rental income, depreciation schedules, building, land, and equipment cost in order to make accurate and equalized appraisals; receives and investigates complaints about property assessments; makes reappraisals and submits recommendations for consideration to supervisors; prepares and supports technical cases to defend contested assessments in court proceedings or Board of Equalization hearings; and performing additional tasks as assigned.

Appraiser IV : Salary for Appraiser IV (Pay Grade 118) : $55,629 - $66,267 DOQ The purpose of this job is to make field appraisals of the very difficult and complex residential and light commercial properties using the most appropriate of the various approaches to value. Duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to, gathering records, analyzing and maintaining a variety of data such as zoning, selling and asking prices, rental income, depreciation schedules, building and land cost in order to make accurate and equalized appraisals; receives and investigates complaints about property assessments, makes reappraisals, and submits recommendations for consideration to Board of Assessors; prepares and supports technical cases to defend contested assessments in court proceedings or Board of Equalization hearings.

Job Related Requirements

May be required to work on religious holidays.

Regular and predictable attendance is required.

Must work cooperatively with others.

When requirements include vehicle operation, responsible for the safety, readiness and operation of the vehicle and must abide by ACC's safe driving policy.

Minimum Training & Experience Required to Perform Essential Job Functions

Qualified applicants must possess the following for the Appraiser III position :

High school diploma or equivalent with four years of mass appraisal or related experience required; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this position.

Must possess a valid driver's license.

Must possess Appraiser III certification.

Qualified applicants must possess the following for the Appraiser IV position :

Bachelor's degree or equivalent with six years of mass appraisal or related experience required; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this position.

Must possess a valid driver's license.

Requires Appraiser IV certification.

Essential Duties, Responsibilities

The following duties are normal for this job. These are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive. Other duties may be required and assigned.

• For the APPRAISER III position

When Assigned to Real Property :

Appraises real property in Clarke County by conducting on-site reviews which include measuring the structures present on property and observing the characteristics, physical condition, and quality of construction.

Works with permits by measuring and listing all new construction and additions to maintain appraisals at 100% market value for residential and agricultural parcels.

Reviews, measures, and updates existing remodeled and renovated properties, for reappraisal purposes.

Inputs, analyzes, and evaluates final results of fieldwork to determine valuation; all fieldwork should be complete and input by February 1 of each digest year.

Sketches property and / or its improvements to determine valuation and to complete data entry.

Estimates percentage complete on new construction as of January 1 of each year.

Reads tax maps and plats to determine size, shape, area, and land value of property and to correct any errant data; also uses county zoning to determine land valuation and to develop neighborhood land pricing schedules.

Monitors costs of construction and area market factors to determine neighborhood improvement cost schedules.

Analyzes sales ratio studies to ensure uniformity and equality of value; all ratio studies should be complete by May 1 each digest year and obtain the statistical measures as set forth by the state Department of Revenue. Each appraisal area shall strive for a median ratio of 38% to 42%, a Coefficient of Dispersion less than 15%, and a Price Related Differential between .95 and 1.10.

Represents the Assessors Office in Board of Equalization hearings; may assist with Superior Court appeals.

Prepares appraisals applying all three approaches to value as required. The market, cost, and income approaches to value are used in presenting and defending values before property owners and for appeal hearings.

Assists with appraising all commercial real estate in appraisal area by entering data relating to each property and maintaining current information in computer.

Assists attorneys, appraisers, surveyors, realtors and taxpayers in locating property and answering questions regarding real property valuations and appraisal methods.

Assists taxpayers with questions concerning taxable value, exemptions, Georgia Law, and Revenue Department regulations.

May supervise and train personnel in the use of the computer appraisal system and with office appraisal procedures.

Attends conferences, seminars, and continued education courses as required.

Performs miscellaneous tasks such as answering telephone, locating and filing property record cards, and correlating and assigning map numbers to current building permits.

May attend planning meetings for office operations.

May oversee the application and administration of the historic assessments and the conservation use exemptions.

May serve as functional appraisal coordinator to ensure that the appraisal division, computer service division, and personal property division are on target for meeting necessary deadlines associated with completing assigned portion of tax digest as needed.

Performs other related duties as required.

When Assigned to Personal Property :

Performs audits of Personal Property accounts as assigned, including notification letters, scheduling, and audit results.

Processes personal property returns by reviewing incoming reports, obtaining necessary schedules, and assigning new or updated values; should be completed by mid April of each year or according to yearly digest schedule.

Locates and appraises new parcels of personal property in Athens-Clarke County and updates appraisals of existing properties; conducts field reviews.

Prepares personal property data files in order to print, sort, and mail return forms and / or Change of Assessment Notices to property owners in accordance with applicable statutory requirements of state law; must be completed in a timely manner according to digest schedule.

Coordinates and enters personal property and real estate data that is used in valuation process.

Acts as facilitator of the appeals process; receives appeal letters, reviews each one for content and timeliness, logs into appeal module of the Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal system, making applicable notes; produces a supplemental spreadsheet used to track and account for each appeal and the disputed value; distributes appeal letters to staff for field review; maintains updated records of appeals progress through review process; generates all associated paperwork needed for hearing; processes disposition sheets to the Tax Commissioner's Office concerning results of hearing.

Represents the Assessors Office in Board of Equalization hearings; may assist with Superior Court appeals.

Prepares appraisals applying all three approaches to value as required. The market, cost, and income approaches to value are used in presenting and defending values before property owners and for appeal hearings.

Verifies data, initiates and / or processes error slips / NOD's, makes copies of Parcel Action forms, and transfers to Tax Commissioner's Office.

Develops queries and reports from the appraisal databases that are used for comparative analysis.

Researches pricing codes, depreciation schedules, and schedules of trends in order to complete studies of comparable properties.

Assists taxpayers with questions concerning taxable value, exemptions, Georgia Law, and Revenue Department regulations.

Checks variety of documents, such as local newspapers, city directories, and business license applications.

Processes returned mail.

May supervise and train personnel in the use of the computer appraisal system and with office appraisal procedures.

Attends conferences, seminars, and continued education courses as required.

Performs other related duties as required.

When Assigned to Information & Technology :

Verifies and interprets deed and plat information from the Clerk of Superior Court; verifies that Real Estate Transfer Tax Declaration for the recorded document has been submitted and is fully completed; reviews document for content and identifies or verifies parcel number; determines if document conveys a portion of or the entire parcel.

Updates ownership record and sales portion of the Real Property Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal system by early February each digest year; completed information is forwarded to Tax Commissioner's Office.

Assists taxpayers, surveyors, attorneys, appraisers, foresters, and realtors with questions concerning property location, property information, and deeds. Calculates acreage for properties that are questioned.

Checks indicated sales price against current appraisal to analyze and develop neighborhood trends; verifies sales information.

Maintains and receives property tax returns from Tax Commissioner's Office after April 1 filing closure date; makes appropriate notations in the Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal system; sorts return forms into various categories; forwards the returns to the Real Property Division appraisal staff for review purposes; initiates correspondence when applicable to property owners for further information or action.

Facilitates process of granting, reviewing, and removing homestead exemptions; compiles listing of approvals and denials to be acted upon by the Board of Assessors; generates letters notifying property owners of denial and outlining the steps for the appeal procedure.

Maintains and updates historical use properties, conservation use properties, and exempt properties for digest.

Receives Conservation Use and Environmentally Sensitive applications between January 1 and April 1; collects and verifies data on each application; visits each parcel to evaluate the qualifications of the property; prepares a property list with recommendations to be acted upon by the Board of Assessors.

Receives exempt applications; verifies data by a site visit; prepares an application list with recommendations to be acted upon by the Board of Assessors.

Receives and maintains the Landmark and Rehabilitated Historical applications that have previously been approved by the historical division for Athens-Clarke County and the Department of Natural Resources; verifies data of the structure by a site visit; prepares a property list with recommendations to be acted upon by the Board of Assessors.

Acts as facilitator of the appeals process; receives appeal letters, reviews each one for content and timeliness, logs into appeal module of the Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal system, making applicable notes; produces a supplemental spreadsheet used to track and account for each appeal and the disputed value; distributes appeal letters to staff for field review; maintains updated records of appeals progress through review process.

Serves as liaison between Assessors office and Clerk of Superior Court in regards to certifying and processing appeals for Board of Equalization; updates information in appeal module; generates all associated paperwork needed for appeals; processes disposition sheets to the Tax Commissioner's Office concerning results of hearing.

Updates and maintains yearly Public utility assessments; identifies parcel numbers; verifies information; prepares and mails assessment notice to company; receives and logs appeals; verifies timeliness; calculates uncontested assessment; transmits to Tax Commissioner.

Verifies data, initiates and / or processes error slips / NOD's, makes copies of Parcel Action forms, and transfers to Tax Commissioner's Office.

Helps creates new parcels from plats and splits, assigns parcel numbers, and adds parcel data to CAMA database.

Develops queries and reports from the GIS and appraisal databases; assists real property appraisers in the development and analysis of appraisal areas.

Helps maintain computer systems; researches, evaluates, recommends, installs, and configures new / upgraded software.

May supervise and train personnel in the use of the computer appraisal system and with office appraisal procedures.

Attends conferences, seminars, and continued education courses as required.

Performs miscellaneous tasks such as answering telephone, locating and filing property record cards, assisting other appraisers, and correlating and assigning map numbers to current building permits.

Assists the public in the use of the computer appraisal system.

Performs other related duties as required.

When Assigned to GIS :

Inputs new data into geographical information system using computer-aided design operations and data exchange programs.

Creates and attaches attributes to new and existing map entities.

Maintains and edits attribute database.

Edits existing map data for greater accuracy.

Queries specific views of geographic information system, utilizing SQL language.

Runs hydraulic modeling software for system status / information.

Helps coordinate and maintain Geographic Information Systems (GIS) parcel layer database; interprets maps, plats, and deeds in order to edit and maintain database.

Creates new parcels from plats and splits, assigns parcel numbers, and adds parcel data to GIS and CAMA databases.

Integrates GIS functions with CAMA system.

Develops queries and reports from the GIS and appraisal databases; assists real property appraisers in the development and analysis of appraisal areas.

Educates staff on the proper use of GIS technology and appraisal techniques.

Helps maintain computer systems; researches, evaluates, recommends, installs, and configures new / upgraded software.

Performs other related duties as required.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Knowledge of the policies, procedures, and activities of the Tax Assessor's Office as they pertain to the performance of duties relating to the position of Appraiser III.

Knowledge of the terminology used within the office.

Knowledge of building permits, blueprints, sketch card, sales ratios, tax and zoning maps, and procedures and methods as required in the performance of duties.

Knowledge of various office software programs used for appraisal procedures.

Ability to compile, organize, prepare and maintain an assortment of records, reports and information in an effective manner and according to office and / or governmental regulations.

Ability to communicate effectively with supervisors and other staff members.

Ability to use independent judgment in routine and non-routine situations, including making field appraisals of residential, light commercial, and industrial properties using appropriate methodology.

Ability to handle required calculations, including developing pricing schedules and depreciation tables.

Ability to utilize and understand computer applications and techniques as necessary in the completion of daily assignments.

Ability to plan, organize and / or prioritize daily assignments and work activities.

Ability to comprehend and apply regulations and procedures of the office.

Appraises all commercial and industrial real estate by gathering and analyzing income and expense statements, determining capitalization rates, measuring and sketching improvements, entering data relating to each property, and maintaining current information in computer.

Develops and updates income models used to appraise commercial and industrial property on a yearly basis; determines income and expense computations and calculates capitalization rates.

Monitors costs of construction and materials and uses established valuation service guides to develop current market cost schedules as an equitable basis for assessing property.

Appraises residential property in Clarke County by conducting on-site reviews, which include measuring and sketching the structures present on property and observing the characteristics and quality of construction.

Inputs, analyzes, and evaluates final results of fieldwork to determine valuation; all fieldwork should be complete and input by February 1 of each digest year.

Estimates completion percentages of all new construction and additions as of January 1.

Determines values and develops land schedules for subdivision lots, land, and acreage based on sales and zoning.

Performs and analyzes sales ratio studies to ensure uniformity and equality of value; all ratio studies should be complete by May 1 each digest year and obtain the statistical measures as set forth by the state Department of Revenue. Each appraisal area shall strive for a median ratio of 38% to 42%, a Coefficient of Dispersion less than 15%, and a Price Related Differential between .95 and 1.10.

Assists in completing new Tax Digest by August 1 each year by finalizing property values of assigned areas.

Prepares documents and appraisals to discuss assessment notices with property owners and to defend values in Board of Equalization hearings and / or Superior Court cases.

Reads cadastral maps and plats to determine size, shape, area, and land value of property and to correct any errant data; also uses county zoning to determine land valuation and to develop land pricing schedules.

Assists attorneys, appraisers, surveyors, realtors and taxpayers in locating property and answering questions regarding real property valuations, appraisal methods, exemptions, Georgia law, and Revenue department regulations.

Trains new personnel in the use of the computer appraisal system and with office appraisal procedures.

Reviews current zoning information and consults with planning and building inspection departments concerning zoning and permit issues.

Prepares appraisals dealing with all land parcels which includes commercial, industrial, residential, and farm land.

May oversee the application and administration of the historic assessments, conservation use exemptions, and other special use properties.

May serve as functional appraisal coordinator of the real property division to ensure that all tasks are on target for meeting necessary deadlines associated with completing assigned portion of tax digest.

Attends conferences, seminars, and continued education courses as required.

Performs other related duties as required.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Knowledge of the policies, procedures, and activities of the Tax Assessor's Office as they pertain to the performance of duties relating to the position of Appraiser IV.

Knowledge of the terminology used within the office.

Knowledge of building permits, blueprints, sketch card, sales ratios, tax and zoning maps, and procedures and methods as required in the performance of duties.

Knowledge of various office software programs used for appraisal procedures.

Ability to compile, organize, prepare and maintain an assortment of records, reports and information in an effective manner and according to office and / or governmental regulations.

Ability to communicate effectively with supervisors and other staff members.

Ability to use independent judgment in routine and non-routine situations, including making field appraisals of residential, light commercial, and industrial properties using appropriate methodology.

Ability to handle required calculations, including developing pricing schedules and depreciation tables.

Ability to utilize and understand computer applications and techniques as necessary in the completion of daily assignments.

Ability to plan, organize and / or prioritize daily assignments and work activities.

Ability to comprehend and apply regulations and procedures of the office.

Supplemental Information

(ADA) MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS OR STANDARDS REQUIRED TO PERFORM ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS : Must be physically able to operate a variety of machinery and equipment including a computer, printer, copier, facsimile machine, etc. Must be able to use body members to work, move or carry objects or materials. This position requires : walking, standing, bending, stooping, pushing, pulling, lifting, fingering, grasping, feeling, seeing, talking, hearing, and repetitive motions. Must be able to exert up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and / or up to 10 pounds of force frequently. Physical demand requirements are at levels of those of light work. Must be able to walk over various terrains in order to do field work and appraisals.

DATA CONCEPTION : Requires the ability to compare and / or judge the readily observable functional, structural, or compositional characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people, or things.

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION : Requires the ability to speak and / or signal people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving assignments and / or directions from supervisors.

LANGUAGE ABILITY : Requires the ability to read a variety of manuals, printouts, and informational documentation, directions, instructions, and methods and procedures. Requires the ability to prepare appraisal documents using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style. Requires the ability to speak to people with poise, voice control, and confidence.

INTELLIGENCE : Requires the ability to learn and understand basic principles and techniques; to acquire and be able to expound on knowledge of topics related to primary occupation; and to make independent judgment in the absence of management.

VERBAL APTITUDE : Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, and to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of administrative, technical or professional languages including appraisal terminology.

NUMERICAL APTITUDE : Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas; add and subtract totals; multiply and divide; utilize and determine percentages; perform calculations involving variables, formulas, square roots, and polynomials; compute discount, interest, profit and loss, ratio and proportions, etc.; perform statistical calculations.

FORM / SPATIAL APTITUDE : Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width, and shape, visually with office equipment.

MOTOR COORDINATION : Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes in using office equipment.

MANUAL DEXTERITY : Requires the ability to handle a variety of items such as computer, copier, typewriter, etc. Must have the ability to use one hand for twisting or turning motion while coordinating other hand with different activities. Must have minimal levels of eye / hand / foot coordination.

COLOR DISCRIMINATION : Requires the ability to differentiate between colors and shades of color.

INTERPERSONAL TEMPERAMENT : Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under minimum stress when confronted with an emergency.

PHYSICAL COMMUNICATION : Requires the ability to talk and / or hear : (Talking - expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words). (Hearing - perceiving nature of sounds by ear). Must be able to communicate via telephone.

ACCGov is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. ACCGov is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, contact Leah Jagatic, HR Coordinator, Human Resources, 762-400-6370 or

Total compensation at the Unified Government includes a comprehensive set of benefits, a well established culture of wellness, and a secure retirement that set us apart as a stable Employer of Choice where you can serve and make a difference in the community.

As an Employer of Choice, we offer :

BENEFITS

WELLNESS

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

01

Which best describes your highest level of education?

02

Please select which best describes the amount of mass appraisal or related experience you possess.

03

Do you have an Appraiser III or Appraiser IV certification?

04

Do you possess a valid Driver's License?

Required Question