Quorum Court pushes reset button on Equalization Board appointees

Quorum Court pushes reset button on Equalization Board appointees

Thomas, Taylor to get full three- year terms

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Crittenden County Quorum Court had to backpedal and set the terms of the county Equalization Board at three years after mistakenly re-appointing its two members to staggered terms.

Last month, justices re-appointed Thula Thomas and Wes Taylor to the board but voted to have Thomas serve a two-year term and Taylor a one year term.

County Assessor Kim Hollowell notified the body that the state actually sets the terms at three years, which required justices to go back and adjust the terms to comply with the law.

The terms of the EQ board stagger. But they stagger based on who appoints them,” Hollowell said. The judge has an appointment.

The Quorum Court has two appointments. The mayors of the cities have an appointment. And the School District has an appointment. That’s how they are staggered. And they are three years.”

The equalization board is made up of five residents who are not affiliated with the county who meet to hear appeals from citizens who disagree with their property tax assessment.

The terms expire in May or until a successor is appointed.

Hollowell said the reason she brought the matter to the court last month was to give the body a chance to re-appoint or submit names to appoint to the board. “I did call the two who were about to expire at the end of this month to ask if they were willing to continue to serve if the court re-appointed them, and they both said yes,” Hollowell said. “But it was brought to you in case you all wanted to appoint someone, you could have appointed them and had them here today because those two expire at the end of the month. I guess because I wasn’t here they were reappointed, but appointed to shorter terms than what the law had quoted.”

Justice Hubert Bass, who voted against re-appointing Thomas and Taylor, said the only reason he voted no was because the court did not have an opportunity to put forth any other names this time.

Bass is the one who nominated

Thomas three years

ago.

“On the agenda it was supposed to be for discussion,” Bass said. “We didn’t get a chance to do anything.

They rammed it through and the members agreed with it, illegally, I think because we should have had an opportunity according to our standard procedures to if anybody had anyone they wanted to present. We didn’t get the opportunity this

time.”

Bass said the county clerk had the nomination forms with her which were supposed to be included in their packets, but were left out.

“If we were coming to that meeting to nominate someone, we should have gotten that nominating form,” Bass said. “She had it. But she didn’t know we were going to be voting on it either.”

Bass said he isn’t blaming Hollowell for what happened. But reiterated his frustration that the justices were not given a chance to put forward nominees.

“It’s not your fault,” Bass said. “You are here to tell us what the law says. We can’t dispute that. I’m just saying how it happened was wrong.”

Hollowell told Bass that she would make sure in three years that the correct process is followed.

“In three years we will do it again and make sure it is done,” Hollowell said.

“It’s not your responsibility,” Bass responded. “I’m just voicing my opinion.”

Justice Albert Marconi, who also voted no, agreed with Bass.

“That is the reason I voted against it,” Marconi said.

“It was not handled the way it was in prior elections. I did not have the opportunity to present someone else.”

“That was the whole intent of last month,” Hollowell said. “That would have given you from that meeting to this meeting if you wanted to vote.”

“If we are going to do something, we need to do it the same way,” Marconi added.

County Judge Woody Wheeless said he was told to put it on last month’s agenda and did so.

Hollowell was not at the last Quorum Court meeting because she was taking classes to earn her Level Four appraisal certification. Justice Lorenzo Parker suggested the Quorum Court pass an ordinance setting how future appointments will be handled.

“If we want some standards and consistency we need to pass an ordinance that this is the way we will do it,” Parker said.

“I agree,” added Justice Tyrone McWright.

By Mark Randall