Assessor candidates discuss leadership

FAYETTEVILLE — The two candidates for Washington County assessor spoke during Wednesday’s forum about the leadership and community relationships needed for the position.

The Chamber of Commerce began hosting a series of candidate forums Tuesday at the Fayetteville Public Library.

Republican candidate Russell Hill, 45, is running for his third consecutive term as assessor after being elected assessor in 2014. Hill was born and raised in Washington County, attending schools in Fayetteville, Farmington and Springdale. He previously served in the Navy, worked as a pastor and started a trucking and logistics company.

Democrat William Chesser, 43, is a Fayetteville High School science teacher with a master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Arkansas. Chesser has worked as a planning commissioner and a board of adjustment member for Fayetteville and a communications director for a federal research center.

The Assessor’s Office discovers, lists and values real estate, business and personal property. Those values are used to calculate taxes used by the collector. Hill oversees a $4.4 million budget and about 34 employees, according to the budget.

Chesser said he’s running because the office needs a change in leadership.

“We change leadership in the country because we are democracy,” he said. “In this case, I believe I can do that job better than the other candidate.”

If elected, Chesser said he would work to streamline how assessing is done in the county with his background in related technology and would help the community better understand the role of the office.

Chesser said most of the job of the office is done by professionals within the office regardless of who’s elected and the job of an elected official is to represent the people.

During Hill’s time in office, the Assessor’s Office joined a pilot program to allow map data sharing and started daily updates to records via the office’s website, becoming the first and only in the state to do so, he said. Both decisions helped information be more readily available.

“Most counties update their records on a weekly basis — some even monthly — but I wanted to move at the speed of business, because there a lot of real estate, title, insurance and banks that look at our information and make big-time decisions,” he said.

Hill said he saved $500,000 by redoing contracts during his first term, he said.

Hill has 200 hours of senior assessment administrator training with the State Assessment Training Program. The office has won multiple state-level awards connected to training and technology in the office, he said.

“I’ve got the certification, education, the experience. I’ve got a proven track record. With me, you know what you have. We lead the state when it comes to this office,” he said. “You will always get my best.”

Chesser criticized Hill during the forum for not publicly condemning the unlawful actions of other Republican officials.

“I have a serious problem with what has been going on in our country for the past two years from the top down to the bottom,” he said.

Hill said the office is more of a nonpartisan one and he also doesn’t publicly bash people.

Hill said the way he can help restore Washington County residents’ faith in government is to continue on the track he’s has been on, “and that’s to be professional and run an ethical office and account for my own business and office.”

During the forum, an audience member asked about a mistake last year in the assessor’s budget has cut the county’s general fund reserve by about $1 million.

Hill failed to include a $998,111 expense in this year’s budget to cover a contract for reappraisal technology.

Chesser said, “the problem was not the error but a failure to own up to the error.”

Hill said the previous comptroller with the county had automatically rolled that figure over, which the new comptroller didn’t do. He caught the error after the budget had been passed and brought it before the Quorum Court.

Another audience member asked how each candidate would use the position to help the county’s schools. About 82 percent of property taxes go to the school district those taxpayers live in, Hill said.

Hill started meeting this year with superintendents to go over new construction in the area and each district’s expected revenue and to be available for any questions. His also partnered with schools to make game day schedules that also include information about the assessor’s office.

“People are taking them left and right,” he said. “It’s helping to support our schools and informing people. It’s really worked out very well.”

Chesser said he would also like to meet with teachers and students along with the superintendents to “hear from the boots on the ground.”

The County Assessor earns $103,531 annually. The salary is based partly on state law and Hill’s experience.

The election is Nov. 6. Early voting begins Oct. 22. Ashton Eley can be reached by email at aeley@nwadg.com or Twitter @NWAAshton

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