Assessment reviewers' qualifications debated

A routine request to appoint more people to hear property tax assessment appeals faced an unexpected challenge Tuesday.

Supervisor of Assessments Mark Armstrong asked the county board's public services committee to declare an "emergency situation" so the county can hire more people to carry out the Board of Review's duties.

State law only allows a three-member board in counties other than Cook, whether it is Pope County (population 4,413, with about 7,300 parcels of taxable land) or DuPage County (population 904,161, with 334,500 parcels). Some counties elect the members, some appoint them. The law allows county chairmen to appoint extras, for one-year terms, with an annual emergency declaration. Last year, eight additional people served on the Board of Review.

But committee member Bonnie Kunkel was loathe to approve the resolution without adding requirements about the qualifications people should have. She proposed that BOR members be required to have Member, Appraisal Institute (MAI) professional certification.

Why? "Because it (accurate assessing) is very important to our citizens right now," she said, noting one of her neighbors is moving because they don't want to pay increased property taxes.

State law only requires that BOR members pass a test administered by the state. Additionally, there are political requirements: Two of the members must be from the political party with the most votes in a county election, and the third from the minority party.

BOR member Gerry Jones, who is also a county board member, is the Democrat. He is a retired scientist, and has served on the BOR since 2000. The other two members are real estate appraisers; one has MAI status.

Armstrong said if new members are required to have MAI status, he won't have enough people to get the job done. MAI-certified people typically have good-paying private jobs and the $80 a day offered by the county isn't enough to entice them to serve, he said. Of the eight additional people who served in 2008, only one has an MAI, he said. He also was not sure whether the county could legally require more than state law states, and preferred not to change the wording of the resolution without consulting with State's Attorney John Barsanti.

Putting off the vote to get that answer would push the resolution off the county board's August agenda, which would delay hearings this fall, potentially leading to the county sending out late tax bills next spring, he said.

"It's very, very important. We don't want to mess with the tax cycle," said Treasurer David Rickert, explaining the county loses interest income when it sends out tax bills late.

Kunkel's motion failed for lack of a second, although committee members Jackie Tredup and Hollie Kissane also were interested in imposing higher qualifications. Tredup also wanted to know exactly how many extras Armstrong needs. Kissane said she felt forced into making a quick decision, but Armstrong defended the timing. "This is a rather routine action by the board in the last 20 years," he said, explaining why he hadn't brought it to committee sooner.

In the end, the committee approved the resolution 4-0, with Kunkel voting "present." It moves on to the executive committee at 9 a.m. Aug. 5.