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Commissioners agree to pursue temporary change in assessor's customer service hours amid persistent backlog
Summary
The board heard from the assessor about a backlog of audits and application processing; commissioners authorized staff to prepare a resolution to change public hours temporarily to allow staff processing time and asked for a plan to address staffing and valuation risks tied to Department of Revenue changes.
Clallam County commissioners on Monday discussed a temporary change to the assessor’s office customer service hours to give staff time to reduce a backlog of applications and complete outstanding audits.
Assessor staff told the board the office is still working through prior audits and new state rules affecting senior property tax exemptions and auxiliary dwellings; the office requested moving the effective date for the temporary hours change to Aug. 1 to provide a consistent month boundary while finishing outstanding work. Commissioner discussion focused on the backlog, limited budget for additional hires and whether reorganizing staff hours would help processing without closing avenues for citizen access.
Why it matters: assessor operations affect property tax exemptions, valuation and potentially county revenues. Commissioners repeatedly raised the potential fiscal impact if the county must assume appraisal responsibilities currently performed by the state or if the county lacks capacity to defend valuations in hearings or litigation.
Board members supported a temporary hours change and asked staff to return with a resolution and additional staffing/budget options. Commissioners also asked the assessor to continue coordinating with the Department of Revenue and seek training for county appraisers; staff said the Department of Revenue had recently replaced advisory staff and offered to send trainers to the county.
The board discussed phone accessibility during any closed hours and whether staff should stagger schedules so a day reserved for processing is also staffed to answer calls and help walk‑ins when necessary. The assessor said Fridays have proven productive for processing because the office is quieter; staff currently work varying schedules, with many appraisal staff on reduced or alternate workweeks.
Next steps: staff will prepare a resolution to adjust customer service hours temporarily and return for the board meeting on May 27. Commissioners asked that the resolution clarify whether phone lines will be answered during processing periods and requested follow‑up reports on backlog reduction and staffing needs.
