By HOLLY GASKILL
A Fort Wayne attorney will soon host a training session for the Wells County Property Tax Board of Appeals.
Assessor Laura Roberts presented a proposal for the training session during the County Commissioner meeting Monday. Roberts stated as long as she has worked in the assessor’s office, the PTABOA has never had training like this.
Of the three board members, Nathan Schrock and Blake Fiechter were appointed last year. The third member, Judy Affolder, has previous experience as an assessor in Adams County. Additionally, while Roberts has worked in an assessor’s office for over a decade, this is her first year as the elected assessor.
“I’m having a lot of problems with our people right now who just pull a number out of their hat and say, ‘This is what I would have listed as, as a realtor, and I think that’s what we should put the value as,’” Roberts said.
The commissioners were in unanimous approval of the training session.
Sarah Schreiber from HallerColvin Attorneys will lead the two-hour training session for $500. Schreiber represents the Fort Wayne PTABOA, has assisted with numerous PTABOA issues, and has advised on taxation at the state level.
“She’s so versed in tax law litigation, and she can explain why we have code, what the code is, what the procedures are, and what their responsibility is as paid for members,” Roberts said.
Commissioner Jeff Stringer stated moving forward, he’d also like to see work toward increasing transparency and consistency in the board’s processes. Roberts agreed, noting the board recently assessed a property $100,000 less than market value.
However, Roberts added it can be difficult to outline specific rules when there are so many variables in decisions.
Stringer stated he saw a need to work through similar accountability in multiple county boards.
“In my eyes, a lot of the boards in Wells County are stacked (with people who) get along or go along,” Stringer said. “And I think our boards need to be stacked with diverse opinions so that we’re always questioning what’s going on, why do we do it this way, how are we improving. And, right or wrong, PTABOA is in the limelight.”
Later, the commissioners discussed the possibility to add another regular meeting time. County Attorney Ted Storer had previously suggested the commissioners meet separately for department updates and discussion, so items regarding commissioner approval were predominantly during their regular commissioner meeting. This change, Storer said, would allow him time to research specific issues, department heads time to refine their agenda items and shorten meeting length.
Commissioner Blake Gerber said he thought the idea was interesting but was uncertain when they would be available for another meeting; Commissioner Mike Vanover echoed this statement.
County Engineer Nate Rumschlag said the departments were used to the routine and protocol of the current twice-monthly commissioner meetings. He also noted it would create a barrier to information and communication for the public to attend two meetings rather than one.
The commissioners agreed to consider their options and return to the discussion.
holly@news-banner.com
