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Board appoints special magistrates; denies extra compensation request
Summary
The Value Adjustment Board approved the slate of special magistrates and denied an applicant's request for additional per-diem compensation and minimum hours.
The Value Adjustment Board on June 10 unanimously approved a slate of special magistrates and denied a request from applicant Alex Rudin for additional per-diem compensation and a minimum-hours guarantee.
Mister Thalwitzer, legal counsel, explained there are three categories of special magistrates — real property, tangible personal property (TPP), and attorney magistrates for exemptions — and that TPP hearings are rare in the county. He said one TPP applicant, Alex Rudin, requested a per-diem in addition to the hourly rate and a four-hour minimum per trip.
“Generally, the hourly rate is intended to account for time and travel,” Thalwitzer said, and he recommended denying the added compensation request. He noted the county has not had many TPP hearings in recent years and that mileage or fringe stipends are unusual.
One board member urged denial of the extra compensation and said alternatives exist if Rudin declines to accept the standard terms. A motion to deny Rudin’s request and approve the remaining applicants passed unanimously.
The board directed staff to inform Rudin he may accept the standard compensation and contract, or decline; no special fringe payments will be granted. The board also approved appointment of all other applicants across the three magistrate categories.
Why it matters: Special magistrates hear recommended decisions that the board may adopt as final VAB determinations; compensation terms affect the pool of available adjudicators and potential county costs.
