Latah County Assessor
The County Assessor serves a 4-year term and maintains a current record of ownership of all property within Latah County, prepares a map of all real property within the county, and assesses the market value of all property in the county. The assessor must notify each property owner of the assessed value of their property on an annual basis. The Department of Motor Vehicles is the responsibility of the County Assessor.
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David Sutherland
(Rep)
What would you like to accomplish if elected?
What experience has prepared you for this office?
What do you see as the most significant challenges that you might be able to address in this position?
What else would you like to tell the voters?
Campaign Statement
ID
Campaign Phone
2083104899
Campaign Email
sutherlandforassessor@gmail.com
Office Sought
Latah County Assessor
In my first term in office, I have striven to reduce costs and increase efficiency. I plan to continue this by implementing a paperless appraisal system, which will decrease the cost of printed files and increase appraisal efficiency, decreasing the need for extra staffing as our county grows. I will continue to increase efficiencies at DMV and Driver’s Licensing to provide shorter wait times and improve customer service while limiting the budget. I am committed to assessments that are fair and equitable, as Idaho Statute requires, and to open and honest communication.
I have been a Certified Property Tax Appraiser for 9 years, serving in Latah County. I have served as a residential appraiser, Senior Commercial appraiser, Agricultural appraiser, and Chief Deputy Assessor. I was elected as Latah County Assessor in 2022. During this term, I guided the Assessor’s office through a Computer Aided Mass Appraisal system upgrade, replacing an antiquated 1980s DOS-based system. This called for an overhaul of processes and schedules, and a host of training needs that I facilitated. Richie Skiles and I worked together to merge DMV and Drivers Licensing, which launched October 1, 2025, and is under my leadership.
One of the biggest challenges facing County government right now is how to keep budgets low while coping with the rapid growth we are experiencing in the County and the associated increase in workload. I will continue to address this problem by increasing efficiencies in the offices I oversee. One of the ways to increase efficiency is the responsible use of technologies that will limit the need for paper files and printing. I am constantly looking for ways to streamline our processes and ensure that we are meeting all of our statutory obligations.
Taxpayer and customer service is another area I have worked hard to improve and will continue to do so in the next term.
Property taxes are a continuing source of both consternation and cost. The ways I can help keep property taxes from growing are to keep my budgets low and, in turn, help keep the County's budgets low. I will continue to ensure values are as low as possible while still meeting the statutory obligations that the State Tax Commission evaluates annually. Additionally, I will advocate for legislative measures that benefit county taxpayers, particularly enhancing the eligibility of low-income seniors for the Circuit Breaker program, which I believe is currently inadequate in meeting their needs.
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