Property valuation troubles at heart of Bonner assessor race

In most election years, the Bonner County assessor’s race might carry the same political heat as the dog catcher or coroner’s race.

Not this year. Not with property valuations reaching stratospheric levels and not after the massive tug-of-war over how those values were determined. The race is at the epicenter of a huge property tax fight being waged in Bonner County.

Former County Commissioner Jerry Clemons, of East Hope, is attempting to unseat incumbent Assessor Judie Conlan, of Sandpoint. Clemons, a home builder and real estate agent who says he no longer needs to work, doesn’t mince words when asked why he decided to run: “There’s a leadership problem and a management problem in that office.”

Clemons, a Republican, said the performance of the current assessor is the cause of much of the county’s recent property tax trouble, in which county commissioners rolled back assessed values to 2005 levels after they were unhappy with those established by Conlan’s office. The problem was bad enough that some 2,700 appeals were filed, and the state had to step in to call a timeout and set up a compromise.

“They didn’t use the right numbers. They didn’t take the time” to properly assess each individual property according to the latest market trends, Clemons said. “It was just a disorganized situation, and it’s not going to be very easy to fix.”

Conlan, a Democrat, said she and her staff were simply overwhelmed by the huge amount of growth in Bonner County and the rapidly changing real estate market. They are working to fix the difficult situation, she said. “Even with my 30 years of experience and education I will find it a challenge (to fix). I don’t know that it’s a good idea to switch leadership right now.”

Property values in Bonner County jumped by an average of 69 percent during the reassessments. Conlan said she and her staff were able to keep up with state-mandated revaluations of property values but were not able to keep up with the amount of new construction. County commissioners were unwilling at first to bring in extra help, she said.

“They didn’t understand the importance of staffing to keep up with the growth,” Conlan said, adding the “radically different market” in recent years “put my staff under tremendous pressure to keep up.”

Next year, Conlan plans to implement a computerized property valuation system, which is expected to cut the amount of time staff must spend in the office.

Clemons said the software had been purchased when he served on the county commission from 2001 to 2005. It should have been installed by now. “That would cut the office time in half for the appraisers,” he said. “When you say you’ve got that technology sitting on the bookshelf, and then saying you need more people, it just doesn’t compute.”

Apart from reorganizing the office, Clemons said he would meet regularly with real estate professionals from the county to establish current property market trends. This will help ensure the most accurate property tax values for the county’s 37,000 parcels, he said. He would also send out assessments earlier to allow more time for those wishing to appeal. All these measures will help to make sure properties are assessed values on an equitable basis, he said.

“It’s a matter of fairness and equality between properties,” said Clemons, who spent a portion of his career managing 5,000 apartment units and a staff of 90 in Missouri.

Conlan agrees that equality is key, but she said it’s been particularly tough to stay on top of the county’s hyperactive real estate market. “We’re seeing it level off,” she said.

Conlan said she has the background and local experience to continue to guide the staff of 24 through changing times. She said her main priority will be to continue emphasizing service to the public.

“I’m mature enough and I understand the process enough that I have answers for people who feel very frustrated,” Conlan said.

Clemons has raced past Conlan with campaign contributions. He has received $3,744 for the race to Conlan’s $1,560, according to county election records.