By Allison Peck
The Board of Equalization spent a significant portion of Monday morning's meeting discussing concerns raised by commercial property owners after the Lincoln County Assessor's Office mailed requests for income and expense information as part of its 2027 commercial property review process.
Lincoln County Assessor Julie Stenger told commissioners the office recently purchased an income module for its computer-assisted mass appraisal system, allowing appraisers to build a database of local rents, income, and expenses that can be used alongside traditional valuation methods. The goal, she said, is to improve the accuracy of commercial property valuations by incorporating local market data rather than relying solely on cost-based approaches or comparisons to properties in other communities.
Stenger emphasized that participation in the program is voluntary and that property owners are not required to provide the requested information. She said the office is not seeking business income information, but rather rental income and expenses associated with commercial properties when applicable.
Commissioners noted they had received numerous calls from property owners who were concerned the request was mandatory. During the discussion, appraisers explained that the income approach has long been available as one method of valuing commercial property and can sometimes benefit property owners by providing a lower valuation than other methods.
Stenger acknowledged that the timing of the mailing may have contributed to confusion because it arrived around the same time valuation notices were sent. She also said the letter could have more clearly stated that participation was voluntary and encouraged property owners with questions to contact the assessor's office directly.
Commissioners also questioned how submitted information would be stored and who would have access to it. Stenger said the data is maintained separately from publicly available property records and would not appear on the county's GIS website or property record cards. However, questions remained regarding whether the information could be subject to public records requests, an issue commissioners said they plan to discuss further with the county attorney's office.
The commercial property review is required as part of the county's six-year inspection cycle, with 2027 designated as the next review year for commercial properties.