By The Record

July 09, 2013 12:00 AM

SAN ANDREAS – Calaveras County Assessor Leslie Davis announced recently that the total assessed value of property in the county increased in 2012 for the first time in five years.

The increase was small. At less than one-half of one percent, it will do little to boost revenues and rescue county government from its financial woes.

County Administrative Officer Lori Norton and other officials have warned that salary and benefit obligations are rising faster than revenues. Norton earlier had urged the Board of Supervisors not to expand the number of county employees.

Pressed to satisfy constituents worried about crime, however, supervisors voted to drain savings to hire additional patrol deputies and correctional officers. The correctional officers are needed to run a jail that will open later this year.

According to Davis, the assessment roll this year is $5,445,649,915, an increase of $22.5 million over the previous year. The roll is based on the values of property as of Jan. 1.

Before 2012, real estate values had declined for four years. Davis said that while some parts of the county saw increases, declines continued in other areas.