Assessor proposes resolution to charge townships for assessments left undone; committee votes to adopt

Iroquois County’s assessor told the committee on June 3 that she drafted a resolution to allow the county to charge townships for parcel-specific assessment work when a township or multi-township does not complete required assessments.

Assessor (identified in meeting as the speaker) said she consulted with Mike Quinlan and other county staff on the proposal and that the fee schedule is based on a template from Fulton County. She described how the county would not charge for parcels when no reassessment or change in value occurs; charges would be limited to parcels that require new valuation work performed by county staff.

The assessor told the committee she plans to notify all 26 townships that the county will pursue charges if the township fails to conduct required assessments, and said the intent is to have townships adjust their budgets if they expect to hire or contract for assessment services. She noted one motivating factor is townships that lack contracted assessors or where assessors have not submitted work.

After discussion about process and fairness across townships, a committee member moved to accept the resolution; the motion was seconded and the committee voted to approve it. The committee did not record a mover or seconder in the transcript. The measure will be transmitted to the full county board for final action.

Why it matters: The measure changes how assessment workload is assigned and could result in townships being billed for county staff time and related costs when township assessors do not fulfill assessment duties. The assessor said the county’s charge would include time, software and mileage costs used to perform the valuations.

The assessor said a pending general-assembly bill that would change township population minimums could reduce the number of single-township units over time, which may affect how many township assessors remain available in the future.