Coos County's assessor is requesting a comprehensive audit of his office's property assessment records.

Assessor Adam Colby said the audit is the next step in assuring his office  is doing its job correctly. Oregon Department of Revenue spokesman Derrick Gasperini said the state isn't going in to look over the county's shoulder, rather Colby has asked for a review.

Colby, who took over as assessor in January, said managers took the first six months of his term to change the overall office structure. They moved all employees to the same floor in the Coos County Courthouse and staggered breaks to allow the office to stay open during lunch.

Colby wants the audit to evaluate procedures for accuracy, identify mistakes and suggest adjustments to the process if needed.

He plans to make audit results available to the public.

"This is the next evolution in my plan to move the office in the direction of the best interest of the taxpayer," Colby said.

He's asked the Oregon Department of Revenue to check the records. They would be looking for inaccuracies in assessments and compliance with laws. The audit team may include members of the public familiar with the assessment practices and Oregon property tax law.

Gasperini said audits of county assessment records throughout the state are common, though they vary in scope.

"We are very open to see what kind of assistance we can provide in what they are trying to accomplish," Gasperini said.

A timeline, and cost, if any, will be figured out once the department and Colby agree on the scope of the audit. Colby said he and ODR representatives had a phone conference Tuesday and talked about a timeline and what would be covered. He said the soonest it would be under way is sometime in the third quarter of this year.

Gasperini said asking non-Department of Revenue professionals with knowledge of the state's property tax laws to assist is not unusual.

"He is just wanting to make sure he is getting all the expertise he can," he said.

Colby said last year, there was $8.2 billion in real market value in properties in Coos County.

Those properties carried $4.2 billion in assessed value, which translates to the county sending out $56 million in property tax bills.

"The goal is public confidence that we are doing what we are supposed to be doing," Colby said.

"So when people get their tax bills they have reasonable assurance that we are on top of this."