Councilman Alveno Ross accepts Richmond County chief appraiser job

Macon City Councilman Alveno Ross said Friday he has accepted an offer by the Richmond County Board of Assessors to become its new chief appraiser.

Ross said the offer was made Thursday night, but he must still be approved by the Richmond County Commission before the hire becomes official.

Charles Smith, chairman of the board of assessors, said a formal vote by the commission likely won’t be made until July at the earliest.

Ross, who said he’s not taking the job offer for granted, would not speculate about what a job in Augusta would mean for his Macon City Council seat.

Ross has held the council’s Post 2 Ward III seat since December 1999.

“Until everything is appropriate, I’ve not made a decision about it,” Ross said. “Anything else would be presumptuous.”

Ross sits on the council’s Community Development and Public Properties committees. He’s also Macon’s representative to the Land Bank and the College Hill Corridor Commission.

Smith said Ross was one of three candidates interviewed for the chief appraiser job.

“He’s very knowledgeable,” Smith said. “He’s been in the business a long time. He knows the appraisal process extremely well. That’s very valuable in this day and time, with the upheaval in the housing market. We need someone who can defend the values we have.”

Smith indicated that Ross would have to step down from his council seat in order to accept the position.

Ross served as Monroe County chief appraiser for two years before he was fired in early April. Monroe County officials have declined to say why, citing a personnel matter.

At the time, Ross said he was dismissed for political reasons, largely based on some of the valuations he gave on several properties in the county, including those owned by Monroe County Commission Chairman James Vaughn.

Before that, Ross worked for 26 years as an appraiser in Bibb County.

Macon City Council President Miriam Paris said Friday that Ross would be missed if he leaves the council.

“He has been a supporter of moving this city forward,” Paris said. “His loss would be tremendous. He’s one of the people you can depend on, with a good deal of practical common sense. ... He’s been a good friend as well as a good colleague.”

According to the city’s charter, the council would have to order a special election to replace Ross if he steps down, because he has more than a year left in his term. Andrew Blascovich, the city’s director of external affairs, said any special election would depend upon if and when Ross submits his resignation.