The Collector / Treasurer Kacie Robey came in with the open-door policy focused on improving communication and customer service among elected officials and their offices. Assessor Carl Bettels was invited to attend and showed later. Key points included the need for timely resolution of tax issues and the importance of professional conduct by all staff. While it is the taxpayers’ responsibility to know what and when their taxes are due there are a few things that they need guidance with. Kacie found an information flyer on paying taxes under protest that another county uses and while she feels like it is not her job to educate the public and she is not a lawyer she is willing to model one for our county. She goes on to state it is the taxpayers responsibility to know what they owned either personal property or real estate on January 1st of any year as well as have their appropriate address for communication on file. She further explained that once a bill has been paid it is disbursed out to all involved entities at their appropriate levy. To refund a taxpayer for any errors it would have to come out of general revenue as this could not be recovered from the entities and essentially is the county’s error. She also requests that she be involved from the start of any issues that occur with a tax bill. Other issues discussed were the loss of experience in the Assessor’s office, the misclassification of properties, the impact of late penalties and interest, and the need for better coordination between the assessor's and collector's offices. Suggestions included quarterly meetings among elected officials, better training for new staff, and more proactive communication to address customer complaints. The goal is to improve overall service and reduce public frustration.
Corey Snead, the City of Butler’s Administrator, came in with the open-door policy to discuss gaining involvement for the Bates County Fair. He is also looking for a letter of support from the Commission for the Application for a TAP Grant to improve and build sidewalks from the city center to the main shopping areas. With the loss of the city center convenience stores being the main drive to this essential need. The safety of the citizens walking to the main shopping areas is a big concern. The Commission agreed to back this initiative.
County Clerk Jami Page brought in the Request for Proposal on the phone systems needed by the Administration Building and the Courthouse. This should be ready soon to submit to the public.
