David Wheeler
Madison County Property Appraiser Candidate
What skills or experience do you feel you possess that best qualifies you for the office of Property Appraiser?
Since 2007 I have served the citizens of Madison County in the Property Appraiser’s Office as our mapper, field appraiser and agricultural lands appraiser. I am responsible for collecting all documents from the public record that transfer ownership of property, plotting legal descriptions, delineating land use types using aerial imagery and verifying the accuracy of our records through field work. As an appraiser I have had benefit of appraising many different types of real estate, using different approaches and watching as our real estate market evolves. Over the last 17 years I have taken every opportunity to gain a valuable understanding of not only the appraisal process, but also to establish trusted working relationships with the people we serve. During my time at the Property Appraiser’s office I have obtained the following certificates from the International Association of Assessing Officers, the training organization for all Florida Property Appraisers:
IAAO 101 - Fundamentals of Real Property Appraisal
IAAO 102 – Income Approach to Evaluation
IAAO 600 – Principles and Techniques of Cadastral Mapping
I also hold the following degrees:
B.A. - Business Administration
Saint Leo University
A.A.S.-Forestry and Natural Resources Management
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
A.A.- Associates Degree
North Florida Community College
The most rewarding part of my career by far has been to work every day with the people of this county and establish connections that go beyond our common objectives. I believe this is the critical link between any local office and the community, and it is one I fully intend to maintain and expand upon if elected.
What do you feel are the biggest challenges facing the community and what would you propose in your office to meet those challenges if elected?
The biggest challenge facing Madison County now, and in the future will be how we choose to account for growth. The State of Florida is growing at a rapid pace, and with south and central Florida filling up, the forces of development are beginning to their sights on North Florida. We have seen record growth in the overall size of our tax roll in the last few years from both the residential segment as well as the commercial and industrial side. All these changes have to be valued appropriately and added to the existing tax roll of over 16 thousand parcels. With what we have at stake I see the role of county Property Appraiser as an opportunity to present this data to local decision making boards, citizens groups, legislators, etc. to aide in the understanding of the changes we’re seeing in our county and help make wise decisions moving forward. There is no better gauge of how things affect our county than our county’s tax roll. We can see what is changing, what is being generated in terms of tax revenue and compare that with the overall associated costs of those changes. I look forward to being an active engaging leader and at all times encouraging the best outcome for the local citizens and taxpayers of this county.
What do you consider to be the primary role of the Property Appraiser’s Office and how does that fit in with the overall functioning of county government?
The primary role of the Property Appraisers office is to prepare the County’s tax roll. The tax roll, simply put, is an annual list of all property in the County, both real and tangible, including what it is, where it is, who owns it and what it’s worth. The purpose of this tax roll is for the taxing authorities; County, School Board, Municipalities, etc. to then levy a millage rate against to generate the revenue necessary to fund each of their respective functions. Our county’s tax roll is the funding source, for the most part, for everything from police cars to school busses to courtrooms and roads. With that being said I realize the importance of getting us that tax roll, and doing so in a way that is fair and equitable to all parties involved. Within that process the Florida Statutes allows for a number of various exemptions and reductions in value for qualifying property owners to take advantage of and we administer those accordingly.
Possibly a lesser known function of the Property Appraiser’s office is the management of the county’s 911 addressing system. This function of the office is responsible for assigning addresses, maintaining accurate road maps and locations of infrastructure for use by emergency services. Working with our GIS mapping software both in the office and on the ground has allowed me to become very familiar with the county and to see just how necessary this aspect of our office is to the citizens of this county, particularly in situations such as the last hurricane.