Assessor race heating up

SANDPOINT — The race for the Republican nomination for Bonner County assessor has all the trappings of a spirited contest.

Jerry Clemons and Tina Harvey have firmly staked out positions, clashing interpretations of past property tax turmoil and competing claims regarding the quality of assessments.

Harvey and Clemons made their respective sales pitches during a well-attended Selkirk Association of Realtors membership luncheon on Thursday.

Clemons, the race’s incumbent, explained how he has been able to get the department’s keel back in the water following the tumult of 2006, when landowners revolted en masse over sharp increases in assessed values.

“I took over a very difficult situation. We’ve got a long ways to go but we’re getting there,” said Clemons.

Harvey, who was a residential appraiser under former Assessor Judie Conlan, emphasizes that assessments spiked because property values had skyrocketed and Idaho law requires assessed values to reflect the market.

Harvey questioned the accuracy of assessments that are coming out of Clemons’ office and pointed to her own as Exhibit A. She successfully appealed her recent assessment to the state and received a reduction of 25 percent.

“I will ensure that the values that you see are fair,” said Harvey, who has 15 years of boots-on-the-ground appraisal experience and promises to be more helpful to landowners who question their assessments.

Clemons defended the quality of assessments by noting that 35 appeals went to the state and 21 of them were dismissed in the county’s favor. But Harvey wondered how many other landowners are being discouraged from seeking an appeal.

The candidates were asked how they would treat commercial properties in light of current economic conditions.

Clemons said there were only eight recent commercial sales in Bonner County, which prompted him to implement a 25-percent reduction on commercial properties.

“How come you didn’t do 25 percent last year?” Harvey asked.

The assessor’s race will likely be decided at the May 25 primary. There is no Democrat in the assessor’s contest.