Part 4 of 4 – Six vie for position of Spokane County Assessor
By BECKY THOMAS
Staff Reporter
The office of Spokane County Assessor is highly contested this primary election. Five individuals are challenging incumbent assessor Ralph Baker to lead the office that doles out property values to residential and commercial properties throughout the county. The top two vote getters will move on to the November General Election.
The position has an annual salary of $88,350. Following are candidate biographies and answers to five questions from the Cheney Free Press.
Ralph Baker
Prefers Republican Party
Spokane County Assessor since appointment in 2005, elected 2006. Former chief deputy assessor, retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force. Education: B.S. in aviation management, MBA degree.
Sadie Cooney
Prefers Democrat Party
Spent 35 years working in the Spokane County assessor's office. Appointed assessor and reelected twice, serving from 1992-2002. Education: high school diploma.
Vicki Horton
Prefers Republican Party
Appraiser, Spokane County assessor's office. Former appraiser and chief deputy assessor in Clearwater County, Idaho. Former Clearwater County sheriff's dispatcher. Education: high school diploma, some college.
Andrew Jackson
Prefers Democrat Party
Work experience in management, systems engineering, software engineering and teaching. Education: BA in education with major in computer science and minor in mathematics.
Gina McKenzie
Prefers Independent Party
Managing broker with Windermere Real Estate, former Washington State Patrol communications supervisor and bank auditor. Education: B.A. in journalism from EWU; B.A. in English and master's in teaching, both from Whitworth University.
Lori Wick
Prefers Independent Party
Spokane County fiscal grants specialist. Former recording cashier in auditor's office, Trentwood irrigation District secretary. Education: high school diploma, some college.
List the major issues in the county surrounding the office and property taxes in general, as you see it. How would you handle these issues?
Baker: After a period of rapidly rising home values, we are now seeing declining values for the first time in decades. Sellers don't want to see a low valuation. Some are appealing to have their values raised! Others feel their valuation should be even lower. Most are simply concerned for the sinking value of their largest investment. The best way to handle the issue is to continue to comply with state law and remain focused on accurate and fair assessments based upon current sales.
Cooney: The importance for the public to understand as well as officials of all levels the process of how assessed values are placed on their properties and to understand the preparation of budgets to the taxing districts to ensure equal taxation. Educate, educate how this effects the lives of our community.
Horton: Communication between all the departments in the county. We are one county not individual departments. All departments need to be working toward the good of the taxpayer.
Jackson: Customer confidence! Information, information and more information! People want to be informed. They want to be provided all of the information necessary to better understand the function of the office and assessments. They want to see that new properties are hitting the tax rolls; they want to see how homes in their areas assess compared to theirs; they want to know how taxes are calculated based on assessment. Knowledge is power.
McKenzie: 1. Office Morale: Review, revise, and implement new policies and procedures to improve office morale. 2. Training/Technology: Provide cost-effective technology and updated training to improve timeliness and accuracy of assessments and records. 3. Public Service: Provide public with responsive service; provide accurate and easy to understand information regarding tax assessment procedures, regulations, and records. 4. Fair Assessments: Create and implement consistent appraisal procedures; accurately adjust property values to reflect the current economy. 5. Missing Properties/Improvements: Locate and add missing properties and improvements to the tax roles in a timely manner. 6. Privacy Concerns: Conduct a cost versus benefit study of Pictometry (“eye in the sky” imaging) and analyze concerns.
Wick: The major issue affecting property taxes is not all properties are currently listed in the assessment system. There is also a need for consistent standards in the property evaluation process. I would handle these issues as previously described, by auditing building permits. This would provide the accountability needed to address past deficit for previously built properties. Standardization of the assessment process will also reduce deviation in the valuation of properties of similar types.
Are there any changes you would seek in the way the assessor's office does business if you were elected?
Baker: Did you know that business owners pay property taxes on their furniture and equipment over and over again every year? When we are trying to recover from a severe recession and get people back to work, this tax law makes no sense. I've advocated ending this law and if re-elected will work harder to get it off the books. It's counter-productive for everyone in Washington. I'll need your help on this one, but together I think we can get it done.
Cooney: As a former elected official, I am a strong supporter of accountability in government. If elected, I will restore public trust and accountability to the assessor's office. This is no time for “on-the-job training” in the assessor's office. This office needs a proven, effective leader who can walk in, sit down, and do this job with a properly trained staff that can restore customer service to the Office's 400,000 customers.
Horton: Yes, I would change almost everything because business is not running as it should.
Jackson: The assessor's office exists to serve the residents of Spokane County. We are public servants. I would develop software to be used by office staff to ask specific questions to individuals upset with their appraisal. These questions would have a logical flow based on the responses received. Many of the incidents would be resolved on the first pass. However, in the cases where no resolution is immediately found, the collected information would be passed on to the specific appraiser providing them the details they need to reply to the customer in an acceptable time frame.
McKenzie: First I will utilize my demonstrated ability to bring citizens, staff, and public officials (affiliated offices/departments) together to resolve conflict and arrive at successful solutions in a cooperative manner. Working with staff and the public, I will implement an open door/open ear policy. This means that as your assessor, I pledge to work in a collaborative manner to resolve conflict, value properties fairly, to add missing properties and improvements to the tax rolls with timeliness, and to provide responsive service to the public.
Wick: Yes, I would seek to implement procedures that ensure there are not any properties missed in assessment. I would pursue an audit of the existing property tax role to place all properties on the tax role. Also, I would adopt a standard of policies and procedures to establish consistency of property appraisal so that assessment is allocated fairly amongst county property owners.
Why should Spokane County residents care about the race for county assessor? How does the assessor affect people's lives?
Baker: Most people are willing to pay their fair share of property taxes. We all want good schools, fire departments, police, streets, sewers, traffic signals, libraries, etc. However, I haven't met anyone willing to pay his or her neighbor's share. The person you elect as assessor must have the skills and integrity to see to it that everyone's property is appraised fairly, whether it's a small starter home in Airway Heights or the Northtown Mall. The assessor must accurately revalue about 228,000 properties each year. The total value is currently about $43 billion. It is a monumental task.
Cooney: The assessor's office provides services that directly impact every resident's most expensive asset, their home and business. This office must ensure fair and equal treatment for all of its 400,000 customers. The county assessor must ensure that all of the department's resources are used efficiently and effectively.
Horton: Residents should care because the assessor determines the assessment of their homes and property. It affects their lives in the taxes that they pay.
Jackson: The assessor's office determines the value of the properties within Spokane County. These values determine the percentage of taxes property owners pay each year. If properties are missed or grossly underestimated, the assessed residents pick up the difference.
McKenzie: Spokane County residents do care about who fills the top administrative position in the assessor's office because that leadership directly affects the finances of all property owners. If properties are not assessed fairly, some citizens may needlessly be paying extra taxes. This year alone, over 3,000 people have appealed their property taxes. This means that at least 3,000 people felt their properties were unfairly assessed. If properties were being assessed fairly, people would not be going to the time, trouble, and expense of appealing.
Wick: The assessor's office evaluates property values within Spokane County. With this authority the foundation is set for all the different tax and levy formulas which are calculated by a percentage of your assessed property value.
What will be your priorities should you be elected?
Baker: Fair and equitable assessments will always be my first priority. There are currently 13 cities and towns in our county that issue building permits. We get deck permits and find new houses. We see home construction permits and find sheds. Many permits are taken out and no construction ever begins. Our new aerial photographs will help us know when new structures go up. That leads to timely, fair assessments and fair taxes. I'll also prioritize working with our state legislators to improve our tax laws with regard to senior citizens, veterans, and businesses. They are overly complicated and too restrictive.
Cooney: Good leadership of this Department will ensure that the proper resources are allocated to maintain the tools necessary to keep current with cutting edge technological advances in appraisal practices. I will empower staff through proper training to capitalize on their skills and take ownership of their positions. Creating a collaborative environment will allow me to recruit and train hard-working, talented professionals that are skilled and motivated to provide excellent customer service.
Horton: Rebuilding the trust of the taxpayer. Consistent fair appraisals. Building the moral in the office.
Jackson: I'm a software engineer. My particular job for many years has been to meet with employees and discuss how they feel their job could be done more effectively. I then design programs to implement their suggestions to improve productivity. I believe this is what the assessor's office needs and I am anxious to implement programs to achieve maximum efficiency in assessing properties and courteously serving taxpayers.
McKenzie: My top priority will be to restore public trust in the assessor's office. First I will work to restore order in the office by meeting one on one with each staff member and reviewing office policies. I will value my staff by listening to their concerns, providing them with the necessary tools and training to effectively accomplish their work, and by acknowledging them when a job is well done. Creating a positive, respectful, and cooperative work atmosphere is job number one. The next order of business is to create procedures and policies to ensure fair, equitable, and consistent property appraisals.
Wick: My first, and foremost, priority would be to ensure a complete and comprehensive assessment system. I would do this by going back at least ten years and auditing the records of all building permits that were issued in Spokane County to make sure all structures had been added. Then implement policies and procedures to assess all properties fairly, impartially, and consistently. I would also like to see this office become more accessible for the public. Citizens deserve outstanding customer service and have the right to have their concerns heard and addressed if necessary.
If elected, what would you do to ensure that county properties are valued accurately?
Baker: There are four things that affect accuracy: Excellent employees, thorough training and standardization, software quality and tools such as aerial photographs and quality maps. As your assessor, I will continue to maintain the highest standards in each area.
Cooney: In order to make the assessor's office accountable to the public, I will create a system with processes to measure the progress of every new construction permit received and track each permit; using an electronic system to ensure that every property is added to the tax rolls in a timely manner until 100 percent taxable value. This is not only for new construction, but accuracy, accountability for all taxable properties that are the responsibility of the assessor's office.
Horton: Training on practices and procedures.
Jackson: I would display a large topographical map of the areas being physically inspected in the current year. Each appraiser would have a different colored pin to be stuck into properties after they are appraised. This way progress can be accurately monitored and resources reallocated if an area falls behind. The appraisers will meet to determine a standard set of assessment procedures to ensure all homes are assessed using the same guidelines. I will also drive the areas to personally check progress.
McKenzie: If elected, I pledge to conscientiously administer regulations and guidelines in assessing properties as required by law. I will work toward implementing cost-effective technology and updated training of staff so they are more adept at fairly valuing properties. After analyzing the situation as it now exists in the office, along with input from staff and public, I will create and implement consistent tax appraisal procedures for the different categories of property assessments. Systematic consistency is key.
Wick: The implementation of policies and procedures will provide this through consistency. Standardizing procedures will ensure that the properties are valued accurately and fairly for all property owners.
In the current economy, more people and businesses are struggling to make ends meet. What would you say to someone who protested an increase in his or her assessed property value?
Baker: I say this almost every day: “Take the emotion out of your disagreement and simply provide recent comparable home sales that indicate we have the value of your home too high.” Last year we agreed with more than 1600 people who showed us why we were wrong and we adjusted the value without a hearing. The beauty of placing all of our data (including all sales) on the internet is that property owners can see if we have their home listed incorrectly. Our job is not to be an adversary, but to be fair. If we've got it wrong, show us!
Cooney: First I would explain all aspects of the assessment, offer answers to any questions they might have, and remain open to the possibility of thoroughly reevaluating their appraisal using best practice industry standards.
Horton: I would try to help them understand how their value was determined, if it was appraised correctly and how it would effect them. If necessary there are other avenues to refer a struggling taxpayer.
Jackson: I would listen to the customer to determine why they feel the assessment is incorrect. Next, I would make sure I had the property information available to compare the facts used by the appraiser with those provided by the individual. If I felt the assessment was accurate, I would explain that an increase in assessed value does not necessarily mean an increase in taxes. Of course I will be sympathetic to the taxpayer because I know times are hard and I know how difficult financial obligations can be for anyone experiencing monetary shortfalls.
McKenzie: I feel the concerned taxpayer should have the opportunity to talk to the office about their assessment. Because the actual appeal process is costly and time consuming, I would implement a preliminary review process which would begin with the initial call of concern. There would be a person assigned to take preliminary input for initial review of each situation to help ensure fairness to the public with the additional goal of cost and time-effectiveness for all parties. I would also monitor inquiries closely by area to address any procedural adjustments which would possibly be needed to do a better job for the public.
Wick: Any taxpayer that disagrees with the value determined by the assessor has the right to appeal the assessed value to the county board of equalization. I would make sure that any concerned taxpayer would be told of this procedure.
Becky Thomas can be reached at [email protected].
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