FAQ: Frequent assessor questions

The whos and whys of the most coveted job you’ve never heard of

When current Butte County Assessor Fred Holland was appointed to that position in 2009 after his predecessor stepped out mid-term, he beat out a field of 15 candidates. Of the county seats on the ballot this primary election, the widest field of contenders—five altogether—are vying for the position he’s stepping away from. The hubbub over a job that most people know little about is likely to prompt questions from voters, so here are some quick answers that might help before stepping into the booth:

What does an assessor do?

In Butte County, the assessor oversees an office of about three dozen employees whose collective duties include identifying all taxable properties in the county and who owns them, and appraising property values to assign tax values. These numbers are all subject to lots of variables, including multitudinous current and historical tax laws and legal exemptions. All of this information is compiled into an assessment roll, and the office works closely with the auditor-controller and treasurer-tax collector to ensure all residents are taxed fairly. The job of assessor, like that of the sheriff, is to carry out policy rather than determine it, and thus it is a nonpartisan position.

Have any of them worked in an assessor’s office?

Candidates Diane Brown and Al Petersen both currently work for county assessor’s offices, Brown as a principal appraiser in Butte and Petersen is the chief appraiser for Sutter. Petersen formerly worked in the Butte County office, and Brown has worked there her entire career, since beginning as a clerk typist in 1983.

The website smartvoter.org—maintained by the League of Women Voters—lists the current assessor, Holland, and the Butte County Employees’ Association as Brown endorsees.

Petersen began his campaign early, and in an interview with the CN&R (“Assessing the big race,” Newslines, March 6), said making the office more transparent and accessible to the public is a high priority. In a more recent interview, he emphasized the importance of introducing improved technology to the office.

What about the others?

Bill Connelly is currently a Butte County supervisor, a position he’s held the last nine years, and has the most name recognition.

Connelly’s campaign paints him as protecting property owners against “overzealous application of tax rates.” His website claims, in all caps, that he “is the only candidate … that puts your property rights first and foremost!” He is also the only candidate who didn’t attend an April 24 League of Women Voters forum at the Chico City Council chambers.

Candidate Rudy Rindlisbacher has been a real estate agent in Butte County for 35 years, and says that experience gives him extensive knowledge of property values and appraising. As for management know-how, he touts his former job as manager of a large grocery store in San Francisco.

It’s hard to gauge Virgle Gage’s platform or campaign, as he doesn’t maintain an online presence and didn’t submit a candidate’s statement for the Primary Election Sample Ballot and Voter Information Booklet. He’s a retired business executive who made an unsuccessful bid for Connelly’s District 1 supervisorial seat in 2012.

“I spent most of my career doing assessments in the public arena,” Gage said at the forum. “I did assessments on companies that built hardware for the military, the space program, communication … and NASA.”

Why do so many people want the job?

Well, we hope it’s because of a genuine desire to serve the public and carry out the office’s duties efficiently and responsibly. It’s probably not the glory (Wyatt Earp was a county assessor, of Pima County, Kan., but that’s not what made him famous). Money, however, could be a factor—Holland made a not-too-shabby $126,245 in regular pay in 2012.