By DONALD W. MEYERS

The Daily Herald

PROVO — Both candidates in the Utah County Assessor’s Republican Primary race want to make sure residents are paying their fair share of taxes.

Assessor Claude Richards said his office is taking steps to ensure that property values are updated, using the latest computer technology to maintain accurate records.

“It’s an evolutionary process,” Richards said.

But Kris Poulson said Utah County’s property values are years overdue for an adjustment, and if he’s elected he will get the records up to date.

“Every five years, the assessor is supposed to review property values,” Poulson said. “This hasn’t been done in Utah County for 25 years.”

The County Assessor’s office is responsible for determining the value of property in the county for tax purposes.

Richards first served as chief deputy assessor from 1985 to 1994, and is finishing his second term as assessor. In his tenure, Richards said the county has begun using Geographic Information Software to handle assessment information and the Computer-Assisted Mass Appraisal system to process assessment data on 126,000 parcels.

But Poulson, a certified appraiser from Payson, said Richards’ office has fallen behind.

He said the county has received seven notices from the State Tax Commission in the past seven years because its assessed property values do not match up with market values. To illustrate, Poulson points to four adjacent lots in downtown Provo.

“The land values for the same size lots are $100,000 different,” Poulson said. “There is no correlation between the assessment value and the building value.”

“There’s no question that there are disparities out there. If there weren’t, neither of us would be here,” Richards said.

But getting the information updated is not simple. Richards said when the tax commission reassessed Utah County’s property, it brought down 40 assessors who worked full-time on the problem for two years.

Richards said the county attempted a complete reassessment in 1987, but the county budget was cut and the assessor’s office lost a third of its staff, while the county has continued to grow.

But Poulson said the budget argument is irrelevant. He said Utah County had a higher budget for assessment than Davis County, yet Davis County updated its records in the required five years.

Richards said his office also helped streamline the appeals process with the Board of Equalization and was involved in improving vehicle registration.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A2.

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