Tax staff exodus creates questions
     Hopkins County not only is without an appraisal staff, it also is without a published effective tax rate-or anyone certified to perform that duty, the former chief appraiser said Saturday morning.
     In addition, who will be manning the Hopkins County Tax Appraisal Office or deal with resulting problems the 12 taxing entities will encounter is unclear.
     Tom Witt said Saturday that he and Danny Clayton, who was one of the four appraisers who resigned Friday afternoon, were the only registered Texas assessors in the county.
     Others resigning at 5 p.m. Friday were Kathy Day, Alison Redding and Jerry Wilson.
"If they end up coming to Austin, I'd be tickled."
     The four could either not be reached or declined to comment on their reasons for leaving or their future plans.
      When Witt was asked how many of the appraisers he was taking with him, he said, "I don't know of any who are going to Austin except myself. If they end up coming to Austin, I'd be tickled."
     Austin is the location of the State Property Tax Board. Witt is assuming the duties of director of complex properties with the state agency.
     Witt had been acting as collector for all the taxing agencies in the district and had been setting and publishing the effective tax rate, a measure which must be done before taxing agencies can begin their rate hearings.
     All the taxing agencies are involved in budgetary processes and are approaching deadlines for submitting their rate proposals to the state.
     Witt said in the two weeks since submitting his resignation, he has certified the tax rolls and calculated the effective rate.
"We were aware that this particular situation could occur....
     What the taxing entities have to do, Witt said, is find someone to be certified as a registered Texas assessor before the rates can be published.
     Judy Gregg, tax collector for the Sulphur Springs Independent School District, Sulphur Springs Mayor Margin Latham and Hopkins County Judge Joe Pogue said they do not know what to expect because of the resignations.
         Gregg said school trustees and administrators will have to "just go on and do the best we can."
 She said that since all the appraisals have been done and the rolls have been certified, the problem is that no appraisers will be available to answer questions or clarify matters.
     Latham said, "We were aware that this particular situation could occur.... Of course, right now, we have no idea what the ramifications will be."
     As for what the tax appraisal board of directors will do, Witt said he does not know.
     Neither do the directors who could be reached for comment.
     Billie Anderson, president of the appraisal board, said Friday afternoon, "Personally, I think we're just going to do what we intended to do when this thing (the controversy over cutting the budget) started. I guess we'll hire a chief appraiser and two other appraisers. That's been my thinking."
     The board's June action and its instruction to Witt was to cut two of the five appraisers who were working in the office to achieve a 15 to 18 percent reduction in the 1988 budget.
     P. J. Ponder, board member, said he knows nothing about the resignations or impending board action other than what he read in The News-Telegram Friday.
     "I feel like something will come to light Tuesday."
     The board is to meet at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, with scheduled discussion to include filling the chief appraiser vacancy.
     Witt said he does not understand why officials are wondering why all the appraisers left. "They're asking what in the world happened but they told me to reduce the budget by two appraisers."
     As for replacing the professional staff, Witt said, conceivably, the board could hire "people off the street" to run the office. But the appraisers would have to be in training to become certified.
     With the exception of Wilson, all the appraisers in the office had been certified, which takes at least five years of training. Wilson was a candidate for certification by the Board of Tax Professional Examiners this summer, Witt said.
They're asking what in the world happened
     As for the chief appraiser, he does not have to be certified, Witt said. But I would think it would be very hard to place values if you aren't trained. He would have to be going through the (training) process, but the credibility would be at a very low level if he wasn't certified."
Date Published 7/17/88 ~ Publication: News-Telegram ~ Written Under: Karla S. Ware
© KW Sartin Enterprises 2002
email
info@kwsartin.com