Scotts Bluff County Commissioners Monday evening approved moving GIS, mapping services and the related employees into the Assessor’s office.
The proposal had been discussed at length over several previous meetings as having potential for saving taxpayer funding in the future by allowing mapping staff to help the assessor employees when needed.
Commissioner Charlie Knapper noted the board folded the Weed Department into the Roads Department earlier in the year, and this was another step that made sense. “This becomes one department and we’re going to find some efficiencies there. There’s really some overlap of job duties. And this is not the final consolidation that I anticipate,” said Knapper. “I anticipate finding more opportunities in the future, for that first floor, and the basement down there, and also in the Roads Department and (Tri-City Roadrunner) bus barn.
Commissioner Ken Meyer was the lone vote against the proposal, which takes effect Oct. 21, saying even though the Assessor wants to add staff, he wasn’t convinced this move was needed right now.
“Once everybody’s on board, everybody has whatever it is that they need to get, their trainings and things are moving, and we get overwhelmed, then maybe we can take a look at it. I don’t know that we’ve reached that point yet, not to that particular point,” said Meyer. “They’re doing fine, I’m not saying they’re doing anything bad. Again, budget savings, I don’t see it unless you cut salaries. And I’m not for cutting salaries.”
Commissioners pushed out the effective date on the move to give Attorney Phil Kelly time to look into any legal issues that could crop up in the future, including the ability of the Board to pull the GIS/Mapping duties back out of the Assessor’s Office in the future if need be.
They also approved September 26th as the date to finalize their property tax request and budget, which will be two days after the truth in taxation joint public hearing.=
