Resident says appraisals should include "common sense," not just math equation

Ron Wilson on Thursday told Riley County commissioners that if the appraisal process is strictly a numbers game, they should save the county some money and get rid of the appraisal staff.

Wilson is the owner of Lazy T Ranch on Zeandale Road. He spoke during public comment at Thursday’s meeting. He said in 2024, the value of his house went up about $90,000, and his mother’s house, a 101-year-old building, went up $50,000. That was on top of significant increases the year prior, he said.

He said he believed the appraiser’s office didn’t take into account some factors, so he made an appeal.

“As I understand it, houses are to be valued on fair market values,” he said. “They use similarly situated sales within the county in last six months. That makes sense in city of Manhattan, not so well in country.”

He said Riley County limits encroachment, which he likes, but which also limits resale value.

“The appraiser’s office should take into account the limiting factors those place on rural properties,” he said. He said a farm is different than a home in a subdivision. “The value is adversely affected by the rural setting we are in. We’re not in Grand Mere.”

At the appeal, he said the answer the appraiser’s office gave is that their hands were tied. He said they used a formula taking number of bedrooms, bathrooms and square feet, and the computer spits out a number.

“If that’s the case,” Wilson said, “if it is purely a numbers game, eliminate the appraisal staff. Automate the process. Save Riley County money and benefits. But if there’s really room for professional judgment and common sense, which I think there is, then the appraiser’s office and appraisal staff should take into account these other factors that affect the value of the property when making their final determination.”

As previously reported, the average increase in value for existing single-family homes in Riley County is 4.82% compared to 2023. The same increase for the previous year was 13%.

Commissioners didn’t comment on the matter during the meeting.

In other business, commissioners unanimously approved Cox Communication’s highway use request.

The company asked permission to replace 288 feed of defective cable at Lakewood Drive.

The commission also accepted Duaine Sherwood’s resignation as Manhattan Township trustee and appointed Erik Juska as the new trustee. Sherwood said he was a temporary trustee, and he stepped down once Juska volunteered to take on the position.

The county also approved the hire of Krista Dix for the position of Appraiser I. The position pays $46,800 per year.