Superintendent of School/Assessor/Treasurer
This position is a combination of three areas of responsibility: The County Treasurer is responsible for handling income and expenses for the county as directed by the three Yellowstone County Commissioners. The treasurer also oversees the Department of Motor Vehicles where vehicle titles, registrations and renewals are processed. The County Assessor works with the Department of Revenue to assess and collect property taxes and business taxes. The Superintendent of Schools compiles the annual financial report, supervises administration of public school districts, and decides all matters of controversy arising as a result of decisions of the trustees of a district.
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Piper Federico
(Rep)
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Hank Peters
(Rep)
What makes you qualified for this position?
What problems can arise in this job (for example, matters of controversy by decisions of the trustees of a district) and how would you resolve these matters?
What is your stance on the upcoming vote regarding conducting a local government review?
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Campaign Phone
4066972974
I am the only candidate with years of experience reconciling property tax billing, motor vehicle receipts, and school entitlement payments. I am the only candidate with an accounting degree.
As Tax Supervisor, I have used technology to improve our office's daily balancing procedures. The improvements decreased human error, increased efficiency, lowered office supply costs, and have made it easier to quickly pull needed information.
I have used technology to find alternate contact information for taxpayers at risk of losing their property to tax deed action. As a result, on average the last three years, four properties per year have been lost to tax deed action, well down from the ten per year of the 2010s, without decreasing collections.
The most important job is to follow the law. When problems arise, it is important to use the laws, plus relevant office policies to resolve the matter in a fair and equitable manner. As a county employee, I work for the taxpayers. My goal is to provide guidance and education to the taxpayers, while empathizing with their concerns.
I talk with many taxpayers on a limited budget who want to make partial payments on their property taxes. I empathize, inform them we’re not allowed to take partial payments by law, and tell them to contact their legislators. Allowing partial payments while still charging penalties and interest on the unpaid late amount would make it easier for taxpayers to prevent back taxes from spiraling out of control.
I think Yellowstone County voters would be well served by voting for the local government review. The cost of the county review is less than five dollars per year for the average residential home. The review would look at the current structure of government as well as alternate options. The county has grown enormously in the last ten years and we are facing challenges as a result. The rapid growth may mean that our current structure of government is not ideal. Unlike most of the big counties in Montana, our county doesn’t have a county administrator. The review could let us know whether it would be helpful to have an administrator as well as provide valuable recommendations for making our government more efficient.
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