2017-09-28 Budget mtg - Assessor for 2018Budget meeting with Assessor
September 28, 2017
9 a.m.
Present: Commissioner Stamper, Commissioner Fund, Commissioner Jackson, Becky Butler, Steve
Walton, Dianne Dorey, Marci Miess
Guests: Justyna Tomtas, Mitch Townsend, Matt Brock, Bill Marshall, Anthony Ahrens, Linda Williams
(9:04 a.m.)
Recorder: Rieva Lester
2018 prelim budget
Revenue: $20,000; expenditures: $1,728,586; FTEs: 18
Revenue review
Becky Butler said the true revenue of the Assessor’s Office would be much higher, but it is collected
through the Treasurer’s Office.
Expenditure review
Becky said salaries, software, interfunds, and postage make up the bulk of the expenditures.
Expenditure limitation discussion
$97,859 request: Additional employee.
Dianne Dorey gave an overview of the duties of the Assessor’s Office. She said the county has 59,000
parcels. She gave an overview of the workload increase and staffing decrease since 1998. She discussed
a recent Department of Revenue audit. She said the audit found that her office is understaffed. She
discussed her request for a commercial/industrial appraiser. She discussed a recommendation from the
State Auditor’s Office regarding deadline. She discussed the excess hours she works to cover cuts in staff
and turnover. She discussed the general fund money created through the actions of the Assessor’s
office. She said the county’s value has grown from $3.7 billion in 1998 to $7.3 billion in 2017. She
discussed new construction, which has decreased from $101 million in 1998 to $71 million in present
day. Dianne discussed Pictometry as a tool to help identify new construction. She said it helped add
more than $30 million in new construction. She said it affects the county as well as 68 other taxing
districts. Dianne said nine Lewis County employees left to work for Thurston County. The group
discussed the training needed for the various positions.
Bill Marshall said there has to be a way to solve the county’s troubles regarding losing employees. He
asked if there could be a contract requirement for the amount of time a trainee must stay after training
is completed. Becky asked if it could be brought up during union negotiations.
Mitch Townsend suggested creating a training center to capitalize on others using the county as a
training ground. Dianne said she discussed the topic with the college before. She said the trouble is the
in-person, boots-on-the-ground training that is required. She said the county must spend hours and
hours providing one-on-one training above and beyond the trainee’s classroom education.
She said discretionary funds out of her budget total only roughly $50,000.
To stay “flush,” Dianne said, the county needs $200 million in new construction every year.
Meeting ended at 9:34 a.m.