A former Douglas County Assessor employee announced Tuesday that he will run for his former boss's job.
Kris Pierce worked as an assistant to County Assessor Diane Battiato before his position was terminated in February 2017.
Battiatto said Pierce was fired for budgetary reasons, but Pierce says he believes it was because he was preparing to run for her job in 2018. “At the time of my termination, I had no intention to run against Diane Battiato for the office. Looking back, I believe it is possible she did fire me because she was afraid I would challenge her. I believe it is even more likely that she let me go for questioning how the office was being run.”
Pierce also believes his dismissal was due to his criticism of Battiato for her handling of property tax valuations and how the office was being run. He says Battiatto knew property tax valuations were going to significantly increase in 2017, a year before making the information public, and that it was improper policy not to alert taxpayers. “The fact that she knew of the increases and sat on the information was wrong. Taxpayers, the county board, and city of Omaha should have been alerted so that they could prepare for the outfall."
Pierce laid out his three point plan during his announcement Tuesday morning, saying he plans to improve how the office does business.
1. All properties will be assessed at 93% of fair market value. Initially, properties were assessed at a median range of 99% county-wide. This means half of residential properties were assessed below 99% and half were assessed at more than 99%. State law mandates all properties must be assessed at a range between 92% and 100% of value.
2. Create a new market area map with a focus on neighborhoods and subdivisions. The current practice for comparing similar home values can lead to different properties from different areas of the county being used. Pierce will redraw the map so that properties are compared with similar properties in the neighborhood or subdivision where they are located. No longer will a property in Elkhorn be compared with a property located at 42nd and Q street to determine the market value.
3. End “double jeopardy” for property owners who successfully challenge their valuations at the Board of Equalization(BOE). If a homeowner is successful and has their valuation reduced, Pierce will not challenge that valuation with the Tax Equalization Review Commission (TERC). He will also place a moratorium on future valuation increases for homeowners who win at the Board of Equalization or TERC. Currently, a homeowner who has their valuation decreased at the BOE or TERC could see their valuations increased again the next year or in subsequent years, forcing them to again challenge their valuation. This happens all too often and it is not fair to ask taxpayers to defend their valuations year after year when they have already won their challenge.