By John Sharp
Jackson County voters will be asked to vote on Tuesday, November 4, on whether to change the method of selecting the county assessor from being appointed by the county executive to being an elected position.
The push for making the assessor an elected position appears mainly be a reaction to recent greatly increased assessments of many residents’ homes, as a result of the county’s reassessment process. Thousands of county homeowners appealed their new assessments, and both the State Tax Commission and the state auditor strongly criticized the county’s reassessment process.
Many homes’ assessed valuations increased two or three times higher or more than their prior valuations, putting some homeowners – particularly elderly homeowners on fixed incomes – at risk of being forced to sell their homes since they can’t afford to pay greatly increased property taxes.
Critics also have voiced concerns that the big hikes in assessments will lead to much higher rental rates for apartments and homes and could lead to small businesses closing or leaving Jackson County.
Changing from an appointed assessor to an elected assessor will take a simple majority of votes.