Hobart, Cal. Twp. assessors seek help
Asking for county’s assistance to get back on track
Lake County’s two newest township assessors say they inherited a mess in their respective offices — though for different reasons — and now are seeking the county’s assistance to get back on track.
Hobart Township Assessor Lino Maggio and Calumet Township Assessor Cozey Weatherspoon say they would like their offices to use Nexus LTD for its cyclical reassessment and annual trending/ ratio that the county uses.
Maggio said after he took office Jan. 1 he learned his predecessor Randall Guernsey failed to complete important work after losing the Democratic primary in May, going so far as fail to complete any necessary reassessment work after the loss.
“A ton of work just halted May 8, after the primary,” Maggio said.
Maggio said he reorganized the office using the model adopted by Lake County Assessor LaTonya Spearman. In doing so the office was able to eliminate a field deputy clerk position for a savings of $31,569.
He said with the help of Spearman he also was able to trim $13,000 from overtime, $22,500 from seasonal employees and $3,000 from other professionals for a savings of another $38,500.
Spearman said adding Hobart Township to would cost $196,549 and would be paid from the reassessment fund, which has the revenue. If the council approves the measure, Ross Township would be the only township not using Nexus, she said.
Maggio said he is seeking an additional appropriation of $158,049 from the reassessment fund to again use Nexus. Maggio said the Hobart Township Assessor’s office had used the Nexus system with the county for seven years, however Guernsey canceled the contract for 2022.
Weatherspoon said his office too would like to use Nexus LTD.
“We have a backlog of work that needs to be done,” Weatherspoon said.
The office is facing hundreds of appeals and requests for about 2,000 permits.
Currently, there are 1,434 residential appeals and 206 commercial appeals from 2022 that need to be addressed.
The new assessor said he also worked with Spearman to find places to cut.
Weatherspoon said he has so far cut about $56,000 from his office — $15,000 from overtime, $30,000 in part time, $9,000 in office supplies and $2134 in clothing — and would like an additional appropriation for about $455,000 so the office can use Nexus.
Lake County Council members said $56,000 is just not a deep enough cut for them to support almost more than $455,000 in additional appropriations.
Council President Charlie Brown, D-Gary, and Councilman Dave Hamm, D-Hammond, said they would like to see the office find some additional areas where reductions can be made before moving forward with such a large appropriation.
Spearman said she identified about $200,000 in the department’s budget that could be pared down. Currently, there also are two unfilled positions that Weatherspoon said the office can go without.
Hamm urged Weatherspoon to again meet with Spearman to see if he can make some of the additional cuts she uncovered.
“It’s still not a wash, but I’d like to see a better, goodfaith effort,” Hamm said.