What a jolt. Others make do while Franklin assessor gets $50K for new office | Editorial

With all the critical needs in the community, why is remodeling the Franklin County Assessor’s office suddenly such a major priority?

That’s the $50,000 question.

Franklin County Assessor John Rosenau was appointed to the assessor’s post in a split decision on Jan. 26. And after being on the job for only four months, he asked for new and improved office space.

Only Commissioner Brad Peck balked at the expense.

Commissioners Clint Didier and Rocky Mullen, on the other hand, approved Rosenau’s request with little inquiry. They were the two commissioners who chose Rosenau for the job when former county Assessor Peter McEnderfer resigned from his elected post at the beginning of the year.

Peck favored hiring longtime Deputy Assessor Piper Mitchell to fill the position.

She has worked in the assessor’s office for 33 years, managing a wide range of duties, but Didier and Mullen supported Rosenau, who has not been an assessor but has a background in finance and banking — and he got the job.

As it happens, Didier and Mullen approved dropping the $50K shortly before Franklin and Benton county commissioners met this week to take a hard look at the Ben Franklin Transit budget. The county commissioners are trying to find a way to fund mental health programs and are looking to see if tax money could be diverted from transit services.

That Didier and Mullen are considering cutting another agency’s funding while rubber-stamping a $50,000 request to remodel a county office seems ironic.

While the remodel would be a one-time expense and funding mental health would be an ongoing expenditure, it still seems out of character for Didier and Mullen to so quickly approve spending such a large amount of taxpayer money.

We would have thought they would have wanted to see a variety of options and costs before authorizing such a high-end project that uses cash from the county’s contingency fund. Or, at the very least, first take a look at the work area needs of other county employees.

Didier and Mullen are typically very fiscally conservative. At the first of the year they supported a hiring freeze on two county positions because of the COVID restrictions. Peck disagreed, saying the jobs were needed and they were already funded in the budget. But Didier and Mullen were not swayed.

But now they seem open to Rosenau’s concerns about providing more space in the assessor’s office for future growth and more employees. Rosenau said the current office configuration is not adequate to meet the needs now or in the future. He wants to significantly expand the work area and add offices so residents can have privacy when they come in for help.

That’s a legitimate goal, but does it truly take $50,000?

At the May 25 commissioner meeting, Mullen said he believed Rosenau had done his “due diligence” and Didier was most concerned about protecting taxpayer privacy.

But Peck is worried about equity and fairness among county employees, and noted the planning department is working out of a World War II trailer-like building and employees there don’t even have Wi-Fi.

The assessor’s office and human resources are side by side in the courthouse basement, with extra space in-between. The remodeling plans would reconfigure both departments and have them swap sides. Peck suggested the assessor’s office could expand by building a wall and taking over the middle area. He also suggested employees could use a nearby conference room for private conversations, which would significantly reduce the cost of the project.

But Rosenbau said that Peck’s suggestion wouldn’t meet the needs of the office — especially in the future.

Perhaps Rosenau’s outside perspective brought to light the inadequacies of the space available for the assessor’s office, and his reasons for wanting to remodel the work space are likely valid.

But should this be a greater priority than other needs in the county? Taxpayers visit many county departments, not only the assessor.

If commissioners want Ben Franklin Transit to tighten its belt, they should consider how it looks when a new hire requests $50K for an updated office and gets it so quickly.

This story was originally published June 4, 2021 at 1:11 PM.