Jefferson County property tax officials will get a second tour of Gov. Matt Bevin's Anchorage mansion amid a long-running dispute between the governor and the county over whether it's assessed too low for tax purposes.

The Jefferson County Board of Assessment Adjustment decided at a hearing Friday it will again visit the 150-year-old restored mansion Bevin purchased in 2017 for $1.6 million. The inspection was requested by the county Property Valuation Administrator's Office.

The property is valued at $2 million, an amount Bevin is challenging as too high.

The board, which hears local appeals of assessments, needs to conduct a complete inspection, said Assistant County Attorney Jeff Derouen, representing the PVA.

"We are entitled to this inspection," Derouen said, adding that the PVA has learned additional renovation has been done to the third floor that could affect the property assessment. "Our goal is to do a full valuation that's right."

More coverage:Matt Bevin's Anchorage house: A timeline

During a previous inspection in 2017, members of the board were barred from the second and third floors by the governor's State Police security detail, Derouen said.

Bevin's lawyer, Mark Sommer, objected, saying that he hadn't been given adequate notice of the request and that he views the inspection as unnecessary. But after the board held a brief, closed-door discussion with its lawyer, chairman Clem Russell said the board must authorize the inspection, saying state law gives it no choice.

"If the PVA requests we go into the house, we have to comply with the request," Russell said.

The date of the inspection of the 7,775-square-foot, eight bedroom home on a 10-acre site in eastern Jefferson County is still to be determined. It would be conducted by the three-member tax appeal board and representatives of Bevin and the PVA.

Sommer said afterward he disagrees with a second inspection.

"We think it's unnecessary, we think it's unprecedented, and we think it's inappropriate," he said.

But Sommer said he agreed that the statute must grant such a request by either party in a tax assessment dispute.

Background:PVA's expert says Bevin's appraisal of Anchorage home was misleading

As to whether the board members will be allowed to view the second and third floors of the home, "I guess we'll have to wait and see," he said.

Friday's development is the latest twist in the ongoing dispute about the property value after the Courier Journal reported in 2017 that Bevin bought the mansion and 10-acre site from Neil Ramsey, a major donor to Bevin political causes and a former Bevin appointee to the board of Kentucky Retirement Systems. Ramsey, the owner of an investment company, lives next door.

A Ramsey company called The Anchorage LLC sold the mansion to a Bevin company called Anchorage Place on March 9, 2017, for $1.6 million, according to property records.

Though the sale raised questions about whether Bevin got a good deal on the property from a political ally, Ramsey has said it was sold at a fair price. And Bevin has since argued the home is worth less, about $1.39 million, citing age and deterioration in some quarters.

The site also includes a 2,780-square-foot four-car garage with a full bathroom, a 1,152-square-foot barn and three small outbuildings.

Also:A key player in deciding the value of Matt Bevin's home was appointed by ... Bevin

Derouen said he expects the entire property would be subject to inspection by the tax board.

"An inspection is an inspection of the property," he said.

The property's current value of $2 million was set in 2018 by the tax board to resolve a dispute between Bevin, who claimed it was worth just $1.39 million, based on an appraisal he had done in 2017, and the PVA, which assessed it that year at $2.9 million.

But Bevin appealed the Jefferson County tax board's decision to the three-member Kentucky Claims Commission, arguing for the value to be cut to $1.39 million. Bevin also is seeking attorney fees and damages.

The state claims commission would have the final say in the dispute, though its decision could be appealed in court. The Courier Journal has reported that the commission members and the lawyer serving as the state hearing officer in the case are all Bevin appointees.

Sommer said the board is scheduled to hear the case in October.

Deborah Yetter: 502-582-4228; dyetter@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @d_yetter.