After 21 years of the director of real estate evaluation answering to the city manager, the Roanoke City Council wants to bring the position back under its own supervision in an attempt to eliminate any perceived conflict of interest between the office and the department of finance, and to streamline communications.
The council voted unanimously Monday in favor of the change. It now goes to the General Assembly, which must amend the city’s charter. No residents addressed the city council about the change at a public hearing before Monday’s vote.
The city council sets property tax rates, and the real estate valuation director and his or her office are responsible for appraising all properties in the city each year. Currently, the position is housed in the finance department.
Vice Mayor Joe Cobb said Tuesday that council members felt it would be helpful to have the position report directly to them; they previously have not had direct access to information regarding real estate evaluations, he said.
Kelvin Bratton, the director of real estate valuation, also said that bringing the position under the council’s supervision eliminates any appearance of conflict with the finance department.
City attorney Tim Spencer agreed. “You want to keep real estate evaluations separate from a budget process,” Spencer said. “You’re doing it based on the value of the real estate, not oh, we need X dollars for the budget.”
Bratton said the move won’t change much in his day-to-day life. He said the job is “pretty straightforward” — he and his staff adhere to standards set by the state.
Bratton has worked in the real estate valuation office for 30 years, he said, and had held every position in the office before becoming director last September. He said the job involves addressing citizens’ concerns, gauging the market and conducting inspections in neighborhoods among other responsibilities.
With this change, five positions will fall under the city council’s purview: city manager, city clerk, municipal auditor, city attorney and director of real estate valuation. The city manager appoints the director of finance.
The director of real estate valuation has been a city manager appointee since 2003, Spencer said; prior to that, the position reported directly to the council. Talk of reinstating the position under the council originally came about, Bratton said, when his predecessor, Susan Lower, retired in August 2023 and suggested that the position be moved under the council.
“Even when I was a clerk, I was supportive of it remaining under council,” said Councilwoman Stephanie Moon Reynolds, who served as city clerk for 13 years before joining the city council. She said this change allows council to make “more informed decisions.”
The city council is in the process of hiring a new city manager. Lydia Pettis-Patton serves as interim city manager, and according to Spencer, the city expects to make a full-time hire in the fall.
Roanoke has seen substantial increases in real estate assessments since 2021. Assessments rose by about 10% from fiscal year 2023-24 to fiscal year 2024-25.
According to city documents, real estate assessments for residential properties are projected to increase about 12% in fiscal year 2024-25. Total property assessments, which include commercial properties, are projected to have about a 10% increase.
Roanoke has a current property tax rate of $1.22 per $100 of assessed value.
