Here's how to fix assessor dilemma

Are you as concerned about the credibility and professionalism of our current assessor as I am? Are we getting fair and equitable assessments? I feel compelled to set the record straight for you, the citizens of Kootenai County, as the rhetoric has gotten way out of hand.

I served the people of Kootenai County for 42 years in the Assessor’s Office. I was your elected county assessor for 16 years from 2003 until I retired in 2019. Prior to that, I served as your chief deputy assessor for 20 years (1983 to 2003), and before that I managed the mapping division of the Assessor’s Office (1978 to 1983).

In less than two years, I have watched the steady deterioration of the office that I spent more than three decades building into one of the best Assessor’s Offices in our state. This isn’t because of our assessment staff, who are hardworking, dedicated professionals. It’s because of poor leadership who gained an appointment through the shenanigans of the Republican (Libertarian) central committee. The current assessor was the least worst choice the commissioners had to choose by law. The central committee had more qualified candidates to recommend, but chose not to.

Some examples of poor leadership:

The current assessor has lost, in less than two years, all but one of the managers I recruited and trained to lead the Assessor’s Office. Some took early retirement, others found other work. Why, you ask? Lack of respect for their knowledge and experience was a big part of it.

The current assessor has stated that there are no procedures in place for the functions within the Assessor’s Office.

The TRUTH is that I charged Rich Houser and our management team with the development of step by step procedures for every function within each of the five divisions of the office. They were indexed by department and by task.

Those step by step instructions on how to get the jobs done were kept on the county central computer and updated as changes were needed. They were created to insure consistent information throughout the database.

Shortly after the current assessor took office, I spoke with him and explained that to him. I even offered to help him. He never called me back for help. Why is he now claiming that there were no procedures for him to follow? Did he even look for them?

The current assessor claims that there are properties in Kootenai County which haven’t been revalued in up to eight or nine years.

The TRUTH is that properties, by Idaho law, have to be physically re-inspected and updated at least once in each five-year cycle. So it’s possible that they may not be visited in eight or nine years (though highly unlikely in today’s market). But, they must be tested against current sales each year and if needed, their values must be adjusted so that all property in the county is assessed at 90 to 100% of fair market value every year.

Another way to look at this is that your assessment should be at least 90% of what the sales price would be as of Jan. 1 each year. This is measured through real estate sales price to assessed value comparisons, called ratio studies. This is tracked by the State Tax Commission and reported back to the counties on a report card, so to speak.

Why did the current assessor exclude his appraisal managers when he met with the State Tax Commission this year to review the ratio study reports? My appraisal managers and chief deputy were never excluded during my tenure with the Assessor’s Office. What’s he trying to hide?

The current assessor blames past practices and past leadership for the problems in the Assessor’s Office.

The TRUTH is that there were no problems as described by the current assessor until he started on the job. There were always challenges, which we used to take a team approach to solving in the most productive and fair way we could. But I’ve never seen the kind of disrespect and turmoil that exists today within the office during my 42 years of service.

Why can’t the current assessor accept some responsibility for the problems he’s created? Why is it always someone else’s fault? The buck stops with him. There is nobody else to blame. The current assessor is not the leader we need to move the Assessor’s Office forward.

I urge you all to get out and vote in the coming primary on May 17. This has to be a turning point for Kootenai County.

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Mike McDowell was the Kootenai County Assessor from 2003-2019.