County Chief Appraiser Roy Dobbs said one obstacle facing the county in preparing the tax digest this year is interactions with tax representatives.

“We’ve been inundated with information from tax reps on properties that they have acquired,”

Dobbs said during last Thursday’s meeting.

He went on to explain these tax representatives represent property owners who have lost their properties to banks. According to Dobbs the tax reps work through financial institutions. Here, he mentioned two local banks in particular, United Community Bank and Resanant Bank, both located in Jasper. The reps have a tendency to be litigious, he noted, saying they file multiple appeals on their clients’ behalf, which Dobbs says is the way they make their money.

The county assessors’ office has a goal to mail property assessment notices is the first week of June. However, Secretary for the Assessors’ Office Stephanie Gooch says processing is slightly behind schedule to meet this goal. Gooch notes, though that the required deadline for assessment mail-outs is July first. Typically, she said, Pickens mails out notices in the middle of the month, saying last year property assessments were mailed out on June twentieth.

Regarding the upcoming tax digest, Dobbs said he couldn’t give an estimate on whether it would down or up compared to last year. While real and personal properties are major components, he said the digest also includes automobile data. Until the tax commissioner compiles all of the county’s information, he said it’s difficult to give an estimate.