Tax roll gaffe raises questions

No wonder taxpayers in this county and state are about to revolt.

All a person has to do is look at the fingerpointing and the tail-covering that is going on right now between the county commission and the county assessor to seriously question where common sense has gone.

As you know by now there are more than 1,400 parcels of new construction that for some reason didn't make it to the taxrolls.

Assessor Judie Conlan says her undermanned staff has been buried with work. She also maintains she has asked county commissioners for more appraisers but was turned down.

The county commissioners have stated they have helped the assessor's office and had no idea of the hole that had been dug.

Where's the outrage on this?

Where's the common sense?

Where's the leadership?

Can you imagine what this would have done to all of our taxbills if the additional taxes from these parcels had been added in?

The commissioners and Conlan are slated to meet today to finalize a plan to catch up with assessments and hopefully move forward.

Growth has an impact on our lives in Bonner County. Unfortunately, gaffes like the one we are witnessing right now make us wonder if our county leaders are at all prepared to lead us into the future.

It's our hope the county commissioners and assessor's office come together to guarantee that all parcels in the county are on the taxrolls and that they are being assessed at a fair amount.

Coming tomorrow: One plan that would put assessments in the hands of the property owners.

? David Keyes is publisher of the Daily Bee.