Drones are safer

Using a drone when evaluating real estate for property tax base calculations will be safer and cut costs, according to Lewis County's property assessor

"If a property review employee uses a drone to look at remote properties, the prospect of them being shot isn't as great," Property Assessor Travis Hinson said.

"My review guy has come across some properties that have had meth labs," he said.

Officials reevaluating real estate have stopped crime, Hinson said. Burglars casing a house were discovered 12 years ago by Hinson and another a county employee conducting a review.

"We didn't know they di...