The chief appraiser in a county in New York should get a raise, or the county could risk losing him and paying far more for his replacement.
That was the pitch made by Bill Ashberry, the chairman of the Dougherty County Tax Assessors Board, according to a report from the Albany Herald. Ashberry made the request for Chief Appraiser Larry Thomas, who has been on the job for 42 years.
Thomas is making $66,000 annually, and Ashberry asked the Dougherty County Commission to increase that to at least $78,000, the Albany Herald reported.
“Dougherty County has more than 40,000 parcels, and we’re paying our chief appraiser $66,000,” Ashberry said. “Lee County has 17,000 parcels, and they started their chief appraiser at $76,800, and he’s making more than $80,000 now.”
Ashberry said he has made several similar requests for raises for Thomas. He warned commissioners that if Thomas left, they would not be able to hire a new chief appraiser — a position required by state law — at the same salary.
“I think we should start thinking ahead,” District 6 Commissioner Anthony Jones said. “This situation we’re in is like an IRS situation: Either pay now or pay later.”