From the Northwest Indiana Times:
The Republican Lake County assessor says Democratic officials are mismanaging public money in a way that is undermining his authority and wrongly enriching township officials.
County Assessor Hank Adams, speaking at a Board of Commissioners meeting Wednesday, attacked the County Council, which oversees government fiscal matters, for "micromanaging" his office. He said council members' interference threatens his efforts to deliver county property tax bills on time.
Adams said the council diverted more than $26,000 last year from his office's reassessment budget to provide personal bonuses — called per-diem wages — to the county's five township assessors.
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Adams has been making regular appeals to the council for more money to oversee the county's property tax assessments since 2010, when he became the first Republican in 50 years to win a countywide election in a county where Democrats regularly rule most local government agencies.
The Calumet, Ross and Hobart Township assessors are Democrats. The Center and St. John township assessors are Republicans.
Councilman Jerome Prince, D-Gary, who was council president last year when the per diem money was approved, said the council was advised by its legal counselors that awarding the money followed state law.
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Adams said he will be writing a letter to the General Assembly asking lawmakers to eliminate township assessors as elected officials.
See the full article here:
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/crown-point/lake-assessor-zings-county-township-officials-over-reassessment-pay/article_0f017b90-0fab-5df7-b738-7a44a8feb7ad.html
