Jessi Webster

• Profession: Business Operations Manager & Public Information Officer, Bonner County Commissioner’s Office

• Political affiliation: Republican

• Educational background: Bachelor’s degree English, Secondary Education – Boise State University

• How many years as a Bonner County resident: 12 consecutively, but grew up here, moved away then returned

• Marital status: Engaged, tying the knot this summer after 12 years

• Family: Patrick (Fiancé) Baylee and Caiden Oliver (daughter and son-in-law) and Evelyn Webster (daughter)

• Hobbies: Camping, riding ATVs, steelhead fishing, hunting, basically anything outside

• Website: Websterforassessor.com

1. Get to know staff and their current roles. Compare current processes to what statute dictates, make various changes as needed. Hire an outside consultant to audit commercial property appraisals. Implement technology, such as handheld devices, that will create efficiency and help to eliminate mistakes. Review exemption applications and approval process. Implement a public outreach team and program. Address staff concerns and work together, as a team, to improve overall.
2. A. Property tax increases, these potential increases could have an extremely negative effect on homeowners across the board.

B. Growth, none of us want to see our county urbanize.

C. Inflation, affects us all

1. A. It is important to work with our legislators to mitigate these issues. Public outreach and education is extremely important here as well, we need to make sure properties are assessed accurately and homeowner’s and business owners alike are receiving the exemptions to which they are entitled to.

B. We need to find ways to minimize growth while staying fiscally healthy, that’s a delicate balance. Impact fees are one answer, but need to be studied. Completing the comprehensive plan will alleviate a lot of the gray area.

C. In-depth strategic planning for the next fiscal year is going to be incredibly important as the county rolls into FY23 budget planning. How do we mitigate rising fuel costs? How do we prioritize projects with the rising costs? This will be a massive undertaking with some hard decisions.

1. Impact fees can be a wise tool to help keep up with growth, however there are pros and cons, just like anything else. They help pay for growth, but can potentially increase the cost of housing. For example if Jane wants to build a barn on her property, she may have to pay an impact fee (to whom is dependent) turning a $1000 permitting process into a $5,000 permitting process, due to the impact fee. I am a fan of the impact fee as it allows growth to pay for itself, but the other side of the coin is not so appealing, how will these fees affect locals?
2. I think our elected officials try as hard they can to keep government heading in the right direction. Bonner County, specifically, has an amazing group of elected officials and employees alike that work hard everyday to keep our local government moving forward.
3. The most critical issue that I see is commercial property assessments. Looking into these, over the years, is what prompted me to run. It appears that we are currently in compliance, but I have critical concerns over thousands of adjustments on commercial properties throughout the county.
4. I bring it up constantly, customer service and cross training. This is one of the biggest complaints I consistently hear about the Assessor’s Office, not only for issues in that department, but there is no reason why staff shouldn’t know the functions of other county offices, at least, within their building.
5. I have been called a political bureaucrat, which makes me laugh. I know it is because I currently work for the county commissioners. I simply want to do this job and unfortunately to be able to do it, you have to run for it and that is why I am running for Bonner County assessor.
6. Where and what is your current occupation and would the skillset carry over if elected?

I am currently the business operations manager and public information officer for the Bonner County Commissioners Office. In my current role we work with every department in the county in various ways. I am rich in corporate knowledge and have working experience that would carry me into this elected position.

1. It is time for change. We need creative, out-of-the-box, critical thinkers in office. The time of “that’s how we have always done it” is over. Communication with constituents is of the utmost importance right now, time to make Bonner County residents a priority.