To: Board of Supervisors
From: Human Resources
Agenda Section: Consent
Vote Requirement: Majority
SUBJECT:
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Adoption of Amended Appraiser I-III Classification Specification
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Adopt the amended classification specification (Attachment 1) for Appraiser I-III (classification # 0628A/B/C) into the classification system effective the pay period after approval.
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STRATEGIC PLAN:
This action supports the following areas of your Board’s Strategic Plan.
Area of Focus: Workforce & Operational Excellence
Strategic Plan Category: 3003 - Enhance employee recruitment and retention
DISCUSSION:
The County of Humboldt Human Resources Department and Assessor’s Office completed a joint review of the classification specification for the Appraiser I-III classification. Staff determined that the current specification is too stringent with its requirements and does not align with the requirements for an Appraiser with the California Board of Equalization (BOE). Therefore, the amended classification specification was drafted and brought before your Board for adoption, as recommended by Human Resources.
County appraisers are required to become certified appraisers through the California BOE, per Revenue and Tax Code Section 673. The California Board of Equalization outlines their eligibility requirements for the appraiser certification in Property Tax Rule 283, which are below:
“The Board shall issue a permanent certificate to any person employed to perform the duties of an appraiser for property tax purposes in the service of the state, a county, a city and county, or an appraisal commission who, within one year of employment, attains a passing grade on a certification examination prepared or approved by the Board and who meets the following minimum qualifications:
(1) The person is currently employed by, or has a bona fide employment offer from, the Board, a county assessor, a city and county assessor, or an appraisal commission, and
(2) Either the person is a graduate of an accredited four-year institution of higher education, or
(3) The person has graduated from high school (or has the equivalent of a high school education as determined by the taking of a general educational development test approved by the California Department of Education) and has four years of relevant experience. “Relevant experience” means employment experience within the last ten years in any of the following occupations:
(A) an accountant, auditor, real property appraiser, building cost estimator, engineer, real estate loan agent, real estate loan underwriter, right-of-way agent, licensed building contractor, or
(B) a real estate licensee, licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate, engaged in buying, selling leasing, or managing real estate, or
(C) an appraiser aide or appraiser trainee in an assessor's office or in the Board's Property Tax Department, or
(D) an employee, other than an appraiser, appraiser aide, or appraiser trainee, of an assessor's office or of the Board's Property Tax Department, except that such employment time shall be limited to qualifying for only 2/3 of the four-year experience requirement. The remaining 1/3 of time shall be accumulated by other relevant experience as described in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) above or by education in an accredited institution of higher education.
Four years of relevant experience or any combination of relevant experience and of education in an accredited institution of higher education totaling four years can be substituted for the educational requirement in subsection (a)(2). When fewer than four years of education in an accredited institution of higher education are used to meet the minimal qualifications, the number of qualifying years or fractions thereof shall be determined by the number of units in which passing grades were received. One year of education requirement shall consist of either 30 semester units or 45 quarter units. The qualifications of the person seeking permanent certification in this manner shall be submitted on a form supplied by the Board when the person files the application.”
Given that the Assessor’s Office is required to have their Appraisers become certified by the California BOE, staff determined that the qualifications on the county classification specification should match those provided by BOE in the Property Tax Rule above. The current classification specification requires graduation from a 4-year college or university with major coursework in accounting, finance, business administration, real estate or a closely related field. The proposed amended classification specification allows for candidates to use a combination of education and relevant experience to qualify. This will allow more applicants to qualify for the Appraiser I-III position, while the county can still ensure that chosen candidates meet the qualifications required by the California BOE. The adoption of the amended classification specification will allow the Assessor’s Office to have a larger pool of candidates to choose from for Appraiser I-III recruitments.
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
1100113 - Assessor
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
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Expenditures (Fund, Budget Unit) |
FY24-25 |
FY25-26 Projected* |
FY26-27 Projected* |
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*Projected amounts are estimates and are subject to change.
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Funding Sources (Fund, Budget Unit) |
FY24-25 |
FY25-26 Projected* |
FY26-27 Projected* |
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*Projected amounts are estimates and are subject to change.
Narrative Explanation of Financial Impact:
There is no financial impact for this item as no salary changes are being recommended.
STAFFING IMPACT:
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impact:
There is no staffing impact for this item as no staffing changes are being recommended.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
State of California Board of Equalization.
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board of Supervisors could choose not to implement the recommendation in this item, however it is not recommended as it has been about 10 years since this job specification has been updated, and the recommended updates will allow the Assessor’s Office to better recruit for Appraisers.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 - Appraiser I-III classification specification
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A