To the editor:
While I am not running again for Hancock County Assessor, I do want to respond to some unnecessary and misleading attacks on my office and staff from candidate Katie Molinder.
I have served as county assessor since 2011 and previously served as Vernon Township Assessor for 16 years. Since 2001, under the direction of former County Assessor Carole Maynard, Hancock County has outsourced a small amount of work each year to Nexus Group. Widely considered the state’s best assessment consultant, Nexus provides an array of services for a relatively small annual fee ($90,000), which is reviewed and approved by the county commissioners and council.
So what does Nexus do for this fee? First and foremost, Nexus provides unlimited appeal support for commercial and industrial assessments, including unlimited legal support throughout the appeal process. Second, Nexus works with my staff to do annual trending and the state-required annual ratio study. Third, Nexus audits our complex, multi-million dollar personal property and real property abatements each year.
For anyone to say that such services should be brought in-house, especially a candidate for this office, is short-sighted at best. Yes, the county could hire new employees and pay full benefits for $90,000, but what would the county sacrifice in doing so? Hancock County would lose unlimited legal support from the state’s top two property tax attorneys, six Level III assessor-appraisers, three accountants, and three Nexus employees with advanced degrees in economics (Ph.D.), public finance (MPA) and urban planning (MPL). Combined, Nexus brings more than 150 years of property tax experience to Hancock County.
The residents of Hancock County should also be aware that in the assessment community, the Hancock County assessor’s office is considered a “best practices” office. County assessors from across the state come to Hancock County for training and direction. Policies and procedures used in Hancock County are being implemented in other counties. Even employees from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) have come to my office for training on topics ranging from sales disclosure verification to annual trending to ratio study procedures. While much of the credit should go to the incredible office staff, some should also go to Nexus.
Finally, from my early days on the Hancock County Council to my 24 years as an assessor, government efficiency is one of my top priorities. Local government should provide its various services for as little taxpayer dollars as possible. While it is difficult to do cost-benefit analyses on such government services, I can say it is rather easy to do so in the assessor’s office. The annual outsourcing of $90,000 results in an annual benefit far greater than this. For an assessor candidate to say that she can save “millions” is absolutely ridiculous, especially when the candidate has never been into my office, reviewed our contractual services, and served as a county assessor.
In a political environment where misinformation has become all too common and accepted, my intent is to set the record straight on how the Hancock County Assessor’s Office is both efficient in spending taxpayer dollars and accountable for such actions.
Mary Noe
Hancock County Assessor
