Terri Boone announces re-election bid

BY Terri Boone, Huntington County Assessor

I would like to announce to the press my candidacy for the Huntington County Assessor’s office a position I currently hold.

I have been married to my first and only husband Doug for 29 years. We have two great children Derek & Tara. I am a member of St. Peter & Pauls Catholic Church and a lifelong Republican. I am active in the Bippus Lions Club and the Open Door.

As many of you know 2009 was a challenge to say the least for Huntington City and County. It is going to take leaders like myself who have both the experience and work ethics to tackle the problems in the near future. I have 30 years experience in the Assess or’s office. I am a level 1 & 2 certified assessor appraiser and currently working on obtaining my level 3 certification.

In July 2008, I combined the duties of the Huntington Township Assessor’s office with my own office, along with some duties of the township trustees. My first priority after combining offices was to cut the staff from 10 to 7 and lowering the budget by approximately $100,000 per year. I then attacked the vast amount of appeals inherited from the Township Office which were solved between July 2008 and July 2009 and turned over to the Auditor for processing.  Also, on my agenda after sorting through these appeals was reevaluating the commercial and industrial properties with our new vendor.  We brought the values of the commercial and industrial properties to market value in use for the 2009 payable 2010 assessments. Therefore, the volume of appeals has dropped and hopefully continues to drop in the future.

In the next 3 years, I will be saving the taxpayers approximately $250,000 by doing large segments of the reassessment in house. In order to perform these tasks you need experience, dedication, and education not only from your Assessor but the staff as well.   

As a community we no longer need to look back but forward. Let’s revive our community and put the right leaders into place to take us through the next decade.

As you can well imagine it will take someone like myself who has the qualifications, work ethics, experience, skills, knowledge and honesty to navigate the reassessment and the County Assessor’s office in the upcoming future. 

Comments

[Snyder not the next clerk]

Terri Boone will get my vote in the General Election because I am going to pull a Democratic ticket in the Primary.

[Ryan]

There were some ridiculous things going on in years past. Someone I know has an old (OLD) house with wood siding, broken windows, no utilities, probably should be demolished, and he's using it as a garage. (Just happens to be sitting on a second lot that's right next to the house he lives in.

The property tax bill gets there (Think this was 2007), and they've assessed that should be condemned house as being worth $49,000.

They went on to assess the house he lives in which is worth a FMV of around $50,000-ish at $96,000.

I think you guys just roll around and assess everything for double what it's worth and then wonder why people are appealing it.

Of course you're going to have less appeals if you tax them on the FMV.
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One thing I would like to know is how much tax Walmart is paying to be in Huntington. They usually negotiate sweetheart deals where it's an Iran-Contra of "Jobs for Tax Incentives" and end up paying no taxes to the community in which they reside for years.

[Taxpayer]

What I like most about Terri is that she is not sucked into the Wall/Updike/Establishment crowd. She has my vote.

[Leaving town.........]

Mrs. Boone, did not cut the staff from, the Township Assessor had to be relieve of duty by HB1001 and I know of one employee that quit, and she did not like another, so she fired her even though she had the most experience out of any of them. Again, Mrs. Boone did not combine offices, HB1001 and our legislators did that. And she did that behind the Township Assessor's back while she was out of town doing continuing education. As far as Mrs. Boone have 30 years experience, well she must have been just there to collect a pay check as she doesn't know much in the assessing world. Mrs. Boone is a dirty politician and we deserve better!

[BrettM]

The in-house reassessments should be already in place after four years of being in charge of an office she has worked in for 30.

Will be hard to vote for her, but considering the alternatives, what choice is there?

Don Shoeff abandoned his office as county auditor in the last months of his term for a job out of Indianapolis (and State President of Elks). Remember that the Herald Press ran a story about it. His comment was that he was the elected office holder and did not have to work full time at the job, just be there on the last day. Interesting that he was able to hold that position while on medical leave from the Indiana State Police.

That leaves Ms. Stoffel as the third possible to vote for. But remember that she farmed ALL of the township reassessment out to her boyfriend who became her husband. Her deputy was fired for running against her and the deputy's platform included keeoing ALL of the reassessment in-house.

Unfortunately, the default vote has to be Boone for lack of better candidates.

[casting in May]

Personally, i dont think the County can afford to have Boone waffeling on assessments for the next four years, she has already dolled out hundered of thousands in appeals without even sending those appeals to the BTBOA (property tax board of appeals). Its well known all over town that all you have to do is walk in and put on a little charm and her and her trusty deputies will slash your assessed value, unless of course your an elected office holder that she grudges for attempting to make her own up to her shortcomings. As for Schoeff, ill admit he isnt perfect, and you would be suprised to know just how many of our elected officials make part time appearances while taking full time pay. Oh thats right, they are elected and only have to be accountable 1 or 2 days every 4 years when they sugarcoat everything and start the finger pointing. Dont even get me started with Stoffel, shes half of the reason the city and county are in this mess. Ill agree with your stance on picking the best of the worst, but i cant say the incumbent with 30 years of experience has shown her worth.

[Shelies Like the rest]

Boone , you're just as crooked as the rest of those elected right now !

After reading what is posted in the TAB today and reading how you decided not to reduce your own salary to help reduce the money the County is short , you will not get my vote !

http://www.huntingtoncountytab.com/community/4469/council-cuts-nearly-1-million
"The county assessor's budget needed to be cut by $11,765 to meet the 7 percent requirement. Boone submitted paperwork to the council keeping her salary and her deputies' salaries intact but reducing all line items - itemized appropriations for such items as office supplies - to zero. Those reductions amounted to only $5,000."

You are only interested in keeping your paycheck and sticking it to the Tax payor , yet you want to tell us how keeping you in office will save us money ?

You must be getting the same advice as the Mayor , which seems to be " Covering your own butt and pointing the finger at everyone else .

Please explain how you can get by for a whole year with $0 spent on Office supplies ?

[another day in huntington]

I have worked since I was 15 and now I am 40 and I have never made over $20,000 a year. For many years, I worked sometimes 2 or 3 jobs at the same time, just to make ends meet.It's not that I am stupid but have never been gven a chance when I have applied for any position other than factory or restrauant work because I never "got on my knees". And for someone like this to take advantage of a position like this.... She should be ashamed of herself. I live in Huntington and would love to have a job that pays as good as hers. It is just unbelievable how everyone that has something to do with some part of running this town for the citizens to moreless be punished for their wrong-doings. Maybe they need a wake up call and only make $200. a week bring home pay and support their families with a limited income. God as my witness, you won't qualify for food stamps or insurance because you make too much money.

Maybe I should run for office. I am just an ordinary citizen sick of this crap with no experience just like our fine mayor and county assessor.