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Assessor's position is filled
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| by: Nathan Treloar |
May 02, 2012 |
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Boone County Assessor Paul Overton.
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Boone County has hired Paul Overton as the new County Assessor, putting a permanent face on the position that has been vacant for most of the year.
Overton is coming from Ames where he has been a deputy assessor for the city since 1999. Before that, he had served as the assessor for Wayne County in Southern Iowa.
Overton said he had been seeking a new opportunity and the nearby vacancy caught his attention.
"I felt this would be a good move," Overton said. "I feel I have a skill set to handle those issues."
The issues Overton alludes to are those surrounding the assessors office following the resignation of Kevin Burggraaf on January 9. Chief Deputy Susan Blair then stepped into the role but resigned three days later citing concerns about the office's record keeping. At that point, County Auditor Phil Meier was statutorily required to take over as acting assessor.
When pressed about what may have went awry, Overton chose to answer that he wished the former assessor had sought more input from his peers when difficulties began to arise.
"Our [assessors] association has a very strong network," he said. "If I run into other issues, I'm definitely not afraid to ask for assistance."
The nature of the assessors job makes it an easy target for scrutiny, and often outright vitriol. Overton wants Boone County landowners to know that his one and only priority is to be a fair and equitable assessor.
"I know how things are," Overton said. "But I'm confident because I know that with my experience I've got a good base to draw from." |
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©The Ogden Reporter 2013
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