By Susan K. Lamb Riverbend News
New Suwannee County Property Appraiser Ricky Gamble visited the Suwannee County Commission, his former place of employment as a commissioner, on Tuesday, Jan. 19, to ask for money not used in last year’s budget but needed this year in his new office.
Gamble, sworn in on Tuesday, Jan. 5, said $71,000 was not used in last year’s property appraiser’s budget while Gamble was still serving as a commissioner. He said while he was chairman of the county commission board, they set money aside from each county office where it was not needed and held for each office as needed in the future.
Gamble said in 2018 the board approved about a quarter million dollars to upgrade the property appraiser’s computer systems which were in need and a complete upgrade was done. “I was chairman of the board at that time and met with the property appraiser,” Gamble said. The plan has been, since that time, when price and time allowed all of the paper info in the 48 filing cabinets would be turned into digital files also and Gamble said he’s ready to digitize those records that go back many, many years.
“I’m here to ask for a budget with what he (the former property appraiser) submitted plus the return of the $71,000. That money was not used in the requested budget and was returned at the end of the fiscal year,” Gamble said. Gamble told the board he is requesting that money to get this important issue taken care of immediately. “If you’ve never seen those cabinets, they are slam-packed with property appraisal records,” he stated.
Gamble said he’s checked to find out what it will cost at this point and believes the $71,000 will cover digitizing all 48 cabinets. He also implied the property appraiser’s office could grow out of space in the current office in the near future as the county grows rapidly.
The board unanimously approved Gamble’s budget and the $71,000 request.