Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

JPs Deny Request To Transfer Funds

A request for the hiring of a second deputy in the Nevada County Tax Assessor's office was denied by the Nevada County quorum court during its regular meeting Monday, February 14.

Assessor Pam Box requested JPs transfer the $19,000 salary approved for a county appraiser to a second deputy in her office. The salary for the second deputy is about $13,000 a year.

Box told JPs her office needed a second clerk since the county is going through reappraisal.

She said the busy season began in March and already her office needed the help with call ands questions concerning the reappraisal.

Box told JPs that the county's appraiser, Charles Backus, had resigned effective February 29 for personal reasons, though he had failed the next level of the appraiser's test for a third time.

Box told the group she felt that her office did not need the appraiser since the county will be required to hire an appraisal firm every three years.

After Box made her request, JP Gary Lewis told the rest of the quorum court, he would be interested in seeing if a roving deputy clerk could be hired to work in the courthouse on an as needed basis. Lewis said he would like to wait until next month before making a decision.

Nevada County Judge James Roy Brown asked Box if the county would be able to hire appraisers in three years if the county did not have an existing appraiser hired to keep up with new construction.

Box was unable to answer, but Brown said he would find out before the JPs met in March.

JP Willie Wilson made the motion to approve the request made by box with JP Leo Holleman making the second.

JPs voted the request down, 3-6, with JP Arval Mason joining Holleman and Wilson. Mason's wife, Gaila, is employed in the assessor's office.

After the vote, Wilson stated the vote appeared to be tainted.

JPs discussed the issue for a few more minutes with Backus, Gaila Mason, Box and others making comments about the office's workload.

No other action was taken on the request by Box. A motion by Lewis at the beginning of the discussion to table the issue was not voted upon by JPs.

Box left the meeting after Brown brought the meeting back to order and the JPs moved on to other business.

Nevada County Circuit Clerk Carolyn Steed requested that funds be transferred from a collection fund to purchase two typewriters, a computer back-up system, a second telephone line, three two-line telephones and miscellaneous office supplies for her office.

The transferred funds will come from Act 768, which are funds that accumulate from a 25% retention fee from fines for the clerk's office.

JPs approved the $2,700 request for the supplies and equipment.

JPs heard a report from Prescott-Nevada County Economic Director Jon Chadwell concerning work going on in Nevada County.

Chadwell reported that dirt work was continuing on the Rip Griffin Travel Center site. He said the county and city of Prescott had solved some problems with access to the property.

Griffin's property has been annexed into the city and is bordered by I-30, Highway 371 North and a county road.