The board of county commissioners may employ appraisal firms, mapping firms or other persons or firms having expertise in one or more of the duties of the assessor to assist the assessor in the performance of these duties. The county may also assign to county agencies, or contract with State or federal agencies for, any duties involved with the approval or auditing of use-value accounts. The county may make available to these persons any information it has that will facilitate the performance of a contract entered into pursuant to this section. Persons receiving this information are subject to the provisions of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-289(e) and N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-259 regarding the use and disclosure of information provided to them by the county. Any person employed by an appraisal firm whose duties include the appraisal of property for the county must be required to demonstrate that he or she is qualified to carry out these duties by achieving a passing grade on a comprehensive examination in the appraisal of property administered by the Department of Revenue. In the employment of these firms, primary consideration must be given to the firms registered with the Department of Revenue pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-289(i). A copy of the specifications to be submitted to potential bidders and a copy of the proposed contract may be sent by the board to the Department of Revenue for review before the invitation or acceptance of any bids. Contracts for the employment of these firms or persons are contracts for personal services and are not subject to the provisions of Article 8, Chapter 143, of the General Statutes. If the board of county commissioners employs any person or firm to assist the assessor in the performance of the assessor’s duties, the person or firm may not be compensated, in whole or in part, on a contingent fee basis or any other similar method that may impair the assessor’s independence or the perception of the assessor’s independence by the public.  (1939, c. 310, s. 408; 1971, c. 806, s. 1; 1973, c. 476, s. 193; 1975, c. 508, s. 2; 1983, c. 813, s. 4; 1985, c. 601, s. 2; 1989, c. 79; 2002-184, s. 7; 2003-416, s. 9; 2012-152, s. 2; 2012-194, s. 61.5(b).)