GREENFIELD — The race for the GOP nomination for Hancock County assessor could hinge on how voters feel about the office’s $90,000 contract with Nexus Group, a group that provides auditing and legal help.
The two Republicans candidates are on opposite sides of the issue. No Democrats have filed for the position, which is responsible for listing and calculating the assessed value of all personal and real property in the county. The county assessor also assists the local township assessors as needed.
Candidate Katie Molinder, who currently works as chief deputy in the Tippecanoe County assessor’s office, is running her campaign on a promise to end the outsourcing of services provided by Nexus Group. She said she helped eliminate outsourcing contracts in Tippecanoe County and wants to do the same in her home county. She doesn’t understand why the county would spend that much money for work that can be done in house, she said.
Her opponent, Cindy Roberts, who currently works in the assessor’s office, defends the contract, saying the legal help the county receives is worth the price. Roberts said the assessor’s office receives many appeals throughout the year that require legal counsel.
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“We do need tax attorneys helping us,” Roberts said. “I think the contract is a good thing. We can call them day or night and don’t have to worry about a bill.”
Mary Noe, the current county assessor, also justified the contract, which has been a yearly expense for the assessor’s office dating back to 2001. Noe said Nexus is considered one of the best assessment consultants in the state and said the price tag is very reasonable considering what it does for the county.
For that fee, Noe’s office has unlimited access to two tax attorneys, gets training for her office staff and receives auditing help on the county’s real property and personal property tax abatement, she said.
Noe continued by saying she has always been focused on government efficiency and saving the taxpayers money. She said the amount of help the county receives from Nexus far outweighs the cost.
She also disagreed with Molinder’s assessment that cutting the contract and hiring local employees could save the county millions, calling that statement “ridiculous.”
Molinder admits she doesn’t have the historical background on the Hancock County contract and can go only off of her personal experience of what her office accomplished in Tippecanoe County.
“We hired local employees who could handle the work,” she said. “I handle appeals that come up. We have a lawyer on retainer who we can call.”
Voters will decide where they come down on the issue during the primary election on May 8 or by taking advantage of early voting, which is currently available at the Hancock County Courthouse and McCordsville Town Hall.
