MASON CITY – The Mason City Conference Board met Tuesday and voted to fund a $1 million dollar project conducted by the Mason City Assessor to appraise all residential and commercial property in Mason City.
The Conference Board is made up of three entities: The entire City Council and Mayor; the Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors; and the Mason City School Board.
Only one Mason City citizen attended the meeting and voiced a concern.
Tim Latham, who owns about 40 properties in Mason City, asked the board about hiring a full-time appraiser in the assessor’s office instead of spending $1 million on an outside company to accomplish the work.
Mason City Assessor Dana Naumann told Latham that one worker could not accomplish all the work in a timely fashion, although her office is adding another worker.
Naumann explained that the project is needed because many properties in Mason City are under-valued and over-valued and in the interest of fairness, the project should be done.
The project will cost the average Mason city taxpayer $55 over the course of 5 years.
Watch video of meeting: