Copp said:
Binding arbitration is a cheaper option. The problem is, the county is involved in so many binding arbitration cases, they know which arbitrators they want to use. You typically have no clue who the arbitrator is. Suffice it to say, you do not want the arbitrator if the county wants the arbitrator. You can request the assigned arbitrator to be changed I believe
Copp speaks some wisdom here.
I have done binding arbitration after an ARB hearing, as there weren't enough dollars involved to justify taking my matter to the District Court.
But, know that I wouldn't have done it at all if I didn't feel I had a damn good case that I could back up with solid evidence.
There were (2) types of arbitration, as I recall. A $250 option, and a $500 option. I chose the latter, since it allowed more time in front of the arbitrator to present my case.
You are to select (3) arbitrators from a list provided by the Comptroller. This is supposedly a primary selection and (2) alternates. The list gave a few qualifications for each arbitrator, and I felt reasonably comfortable that any of the (3) I chose would give me a fair hearing.
The chief appraiser, however, didn't like any of my (3) picks and chose (3) of his own.
Here's where I made my mistake -- In the interest of 'cooperation', I naively agreed to the chief appraiser's first choice, and I selected the (2) alternates. Big mistake -- I feel I got rolled. The districts' people and this guy were familiar with each other and seemed like best buds.
Lesson learned. I was out the $500 plus I lost the case.
Here's what I should have done, and it would have at least given me a 50-50 chance of getting a fair hearing.
When the chief appraiser doesn't like your picks, tell him to notify the Comptroller that you were unable to agree on a selection for arbitrators. In that case, the Comptroller will pick one for you, and ostensibly, the chief appraiser gets to play 'pot luck', just like you do. I've been told that this alone will sometimes cause the chief appraiser to agree to settle.
Regardless, good luck. All-in-all, it was a poor use of my time. I wish you better success than I had, although if I ever do it again, the Comptroller will be picking the arbitrator!