Nevada City Advocate - A free news & entertainment Newspaper Serving Nevada City & Greater Nevada County: Candidates square off over the issue of experience at assessor's forum

Candidates square off over the issue of experience at assessor's forum
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Pat Butler on May 23 12:20pm
 
By Pat Butler
Nevada City Advocate
Experience was this issue when the two candidates for Nevada County Assessor
squared off at a forum held at the weekly meeting of the Nevada City Rotary
Club.
Sue Horne, a former Board of Supervisor, repeatedly emphasized “executive
management” experience as well as her love for Nevada County when making her
case Wednesday to the lunchtime audience at the National Hotel.
Rolf Kleinhans, who is making his first bid for an elected office, said his
more than 25 years of experience in the real estate business as an appraiser and
commercial project manager has prepared him for the task of running an office
that establishes the value of property in the county.
Voters will make their choice in the June 8 election although early voting is
now underway. The previous assessor, Dale Flippin, retired last year. The winner
serves a four-year term that begins in January of 2011.
Horne opened the 30-miuute forum by saying that knowledge of appraisal
practices and real estate is not an essential qualification for the job.
“We’re not going to elect an assessor. We’re hiring an executive
manager,” said Horne, who served on the Board of Supervisors for eight years
before her unsuccessful run in 2008 to represent the Republican Party in an
Assembly election.
She was defeated in that race by Dan Logue, who went on to win the general
election.
In his opening statement, Kleinhans said he has “real-world experience in
assessing and valuing property” that includes managing large and complex
projects.
The Nevada City resident said he decided to run after he was asked to do so and
was motivated by his own experience one year of missing a deadline by three days
to get his property reassessed.
“We need to have better communication with the public. I also want to make
sure you don’t pay more than your fair share,” said Kleinhans, adding that
he would build a web site at his own expense that would answer frequently asked
questions and spell out key deadlines and policies in the assessor’s office.
Horne, who lives at the Lake of the Pines, said she too was asked to run for
the office and that led to her decision to leave her position as a staff aide
for Assemblyman Jim Nielsen of Gerber.
“It is in my heart to serve Nevada County and its citizens,” she said.
After their opening remarks, the candidates heard questions posed by the
audience and read by a moderator.
The first question addressed the rapid decline in the value of property
purchased in the past several years. The question asked how the assessor’s
office should respond to an estimated 30 percent drop in property value.
Horne said the property owner had a “right” to an informal appeal of the
assessed property value and if unhappy with the results could request a formal
appeal that would be heard by a board although it would also impose a cost on
all taxpayers.
Kleinhans, who said a 30 percent decline in certain property sounded “about
right,” disagreed with Horne’s characterization of the process. He said the
informal hearing is not a right but an avenue for appeals that was approved by
county policy-makers.
“Not every county offers the informal appeals,” he said.
Kleinhans said he favors informal appeals as a way to save the taxpayers money
and urged anyone who purchased property here since 2002 to request a
re-evaluation of their property.
The candidates also were asked what procedural changes they would make in the
office if elected.
Horne said she would start by doing a “top-to-bottom” review of the
office’s procedures. “I would want to observe first of all,” she said
while adding that she has a “long-term commitment to leadership.”
Kleinhans said he would initially focus on commercial property appeals. “We
have a lot of those coming in,” he said.
He also said he would work directly with taxpayers who come to the office.
“I would personally staff the counter to free up the staff so they could do
more technical work,” Kleinhans said.
The candidates were then asked if the county assessor should be an advocate for
property owners or more of an unbiased government official who oversees a
process.
Kleinhans said the assessor should be a taxpayer advocate in the process. Horne
said the assessor needs to be “both advocate and impartial.”