Lewis County Assessor Diane Dorey
Stairs lead to the second floor of the Lewis County Courthouse.
After several followup meetings, the Board of Lewis County Commissioners approved a budget request from the assessor’s office on Monday that will allow for another appraiser position capable of assessing commercial and industrial property.
Commissioners unanimously approved $73,255 to promote a person from within the assessor’s office to the appraiser IV position. That person would be paid for half of their time at a lower rate while conducting duties as an appraiser II and would be paid at a higher rate when conducting work as an appraiser IV.
Assessor Dianne Dorey had originally asked for $97,859 back in September. That would have allowed the county to hire a trained appraiser IV. In subsequent meetings, Dorey provided several options that would still meet her needs, but at a decreased cost after commissioners expressed concern over the price tag.
Dorey fought for the position, stating that because of a high staff turnover in her office, as well as five individuals that will become eligible for retirement in the next five years, the position was needed to help with succession planning.
Currently there is only one appraiser within the assessor’s office who can value commercial and industrial property. Training for a new individual can take up to four years, according to Dorey.
The appraiser IV position is responsible for a significant portion of the county’s value. By having the position approved, Dorey said her office would have more time to capture new construction, the “bread and butter” of the county’s general fund and for other taxing districts. New construction allows for a one-time bump in the amount of taxes collected over the 1 percent allowable by law throughout the life of a project.
A citizen advisory committee that sat in on budget talks recommended approval of the position mainly because of the new construction they felt was missed.
Dorey emphasized on multiple occasions that she was short-staffed, citing a Department of Revenue audit. Some deadlines were not met because of lack of staff, she said.
Regular sick and vacation leave for the appraiser staff over a 12-month period equated to three-fourths of an employee being absent all year, Dorey said.
Commissioners approved the request, saying they hoped it would bring in more new construction money. In previous meetings, Dorey had said there is a correlation between the amount of new construction picked up and when the county began to utilize reserves to balance the budget.
The approved position will require quarterly progress reports from the assessor’s office.
Although the initial information was presented in September, there were at least four subsequent meetings with Dorey to get additional information prior to the approval of the request.
Dorey said she appreciated the follow-up meetings to ensure the correct information was provided to the board.
“This has been great,” Dorey said. “It’s how it should work, so thank you very much for all your time.”
