No Honeymoon for Township Assessor

Interesting article in Journal about partisan politics at Belvidere Township.

No Honeymoon for
Township Assessor

By Bob Balgemann

Diann M. Helnore is entering her sixth month as the
new Belvidere Township assessor and for her it’s been a
bittersweet experience so far.
She has made some procedural changes, given the office
a new website, and is working to communicate more with
property owners. Later this year she and her staff will be out
in the field for the quadrennial assessment, looking at about
12,000 pieces of property individually.
On the downside there have been some unsettling times,
such as paying health insurance premiums when she wasn’t
covered by the township’s policy, along with disagreements
over a technology policy and whether her office should use
the township’s attorney or have its own counsel.
To Helnore, it’s a matter of sexism and playing partisan
politics because she’s a Democrat. It’s also because she
defeated the 18-year incumbent, Robert Falkenstein.
To township Supervisor Pat Murphy, there’s nothing
partisan about it. “There was opportunity last summer to talk
about the transition, but she didn’t take advantage of it,’’ he
said. “Everyone’s on pins and needles; I feel bad about it. I
don’t try to tell her what to do.’’
Focus on Serving the Public
“We created a brand,’’ Helnore said of the time since
she took office. “The Belvidere Township Assessor’s Office
works for the people; it is accessible to the people.’’
There have been meetings with commercial property
owners, automotive dealers and most recently, industrial
property owners to talk about the assessment process and
to hear concerns.
The office also hosted a meeting of township and county

assessing officers to discuss
software issues; staff met
with officials of the Boone
County Board of Realtors
to share information and
discuss problems relating
to foreclosures, short sales
and declining property
valuations.
A new website –
done at no cost to the
taxpayer - has all kinds
of information designed
to help people become
familiar with the assessor’s
office, how it functions
and, again, the assessment
process. Just go to www.
belvideretownshipassessor.
com.
Some simple changes
also have been made inside
the office, such as name
plates now at the desks
of deputy assessors so
visitors know who they’re
addressing. Staff members
now have business cards, e-mail addresses and name
identification badges.
The office now is open over the lunch hour. Previously it
was closed from 12 noon to 1 p.m.
“We want to be accessible and responsive as we can to our
community’s needs,’’ Helnore said. “There has been buy-in
among staff members. We have a great department.’’
“I am very pleased with what we have accomplished
during these past five months in the assessor’s office, and it
has all been done with 100 percent support of my staff,’’ she
added. “I came into this office with a different perspective
that they (holdover employees) may have had and my own
way of doing things and they had theirs. Ultimately, I think
we all learned from each other.
“If I initially saw resistance to my ideas, it quickly
dissipated once the group brought into them and made them
their own. My predecessor was right – he did leave me
with a good team and I am grateful to him for that. It has
surprised me how much I genuinely enjoy working with all
of them.’’
No Health Insurance Coverage
Helnore, who was elected in April 2009, didn’t take
office until Jan. 1, 2010. In January, she said money for
health insurance premiums was taken out of her paychecks
even though she wasn’t told she didn’t have coverage. That,
she said, was because she was considered a new employee
under a policy adopted two months after she was elected.
“I wasn’t a new employee, I was an elected official,’’ she
said. “And I filled out the paperwork in December.’’
Murphy said the policy was adopted “long before we
knew she would be the assessor. It was not set because of
her.’’ The matter was resolved in April 2010 and he said the
township board “was very gracious and reimbursed her.’’
Helnore said it was a matter of being paid what was due
her and that she used the money to pay medical bills.
Technology Policy Causes a Stir
The township board is working on a technology policy,
covering computer usage by employees in the offices
of supervisor, assessor and road commissioner. It was
developed by board member Paul Zeien, an information
technology professional for more than 24 years.
Helnore said the policy was an attempt to micro-manage
what’s going on in her department, even though the board
does not have that authority. The board acts on the assessor’s
budget every year but can’t control how the money is spent
and has no control over what happens there.
Zeien said the purpose of the policy is to “protect the
data of the township,’’ for which the board of trustees is
responsible. Beyond that, he said, “I have been advised by
our attorney that the township should have a technology
policy since this is an electronic world.’’
Of the assessor’s concerns, he said she sent Deputy
Assessor John Elder to a kickoff meeting “with a letter
stating that she was the boss of her area and this infringes
on her ability to do business.’’
He said the board “will continue to work on the
details’’ of a technology policy. “If the assessment office
chooses not to adopt or participate in good faith, that is her
responsibility. Unfortunately, it appears that this board is
unable to influence this department in any way, so she will
be on her own.’’
Attorney John Kelly, who has been representing the
assessor’s office in union matters, addressed the technology
policy issue. He wrote, in part, “While some of the policy
is generally acceptable, I believe that any information
technology policy applicable to the employees of the
assessor’s office should be written by you, the township
assessor, and not a township trustee.
“First, there are practices outlined in the township
document that are not applicable to your (assessor’s)
office. Second, as you know, your office is governed by a
collective bargaining agreement, while the other township
employees are not. This could have an impact on practices
in your office.
“Finally, I do not think the township board or supervisor
should be establishing policy for your office.’’
Kelly stated that Helnore should put together a technology
policy for use in her department.
Changing Township Attorneys
The board also is changing township attorneys, hiring
the law firm of Ancel, Glink, Diamond, Bush, DiCianni &
Krafthefer, P.C. of Bloomington, “because they specialize
in townships,’’ Murphy said. “They wrote the book on laws
and duties for township officials. The cost will be $95 to
$195 an hour, depending on the level of expertise that is
needed.
He said the township would continue to use John
Maville’s office in Belvidere for land issues. “We’re not
taking anything away from local attorneys,’’ Murphy said.
“This just avoids any possibility of local conflicts.’’
Helnore doesn’t want to be tied to using the township
attorney for labor matters. “They (township board) want me
to consult with them every time this office needs to contact
an attorney,’’ she said. “I haven’t met the new firm nor was
I part of the (selection) process.’’
Helnore said Attorney Allen, of the law firm of Ottosen,
Britz, Kelly, Cooper and Gilbert, Ltd., in Naperville, was
recommended by Boone County State’s Attorney Michelle
Courier and Boone County Administrator Ken Terrinoni,
for labor issues. He is being paid $165 an hour.
Jeffrey R. Jurgens, of the Ancel, Glink firm, wrote in part
in a letter to Murphy dated May 18, “To the extent that the
township assessor needs legal advice on matters related to
the operation of her office, she should utilize the township’s
attorney. If she experiences a true ‘conflict of interest’
situation, rather than simply hiring a preferred attorney, she
should give the reason in writing to the board and what for
its determination on her request.’’
Ill feelings between the assessor and the supervisor
and township board spilled over into the May 11 township
board meeting when Terri Bullard, administrative assistant
to Murphy, said, “The tension is so thick you can cut it with
a knife.’’
“I think they need to start working together,’’ she said.
“There’s no reason for it. No one is trying to hurt anyone.’’
This was the second time she had discussed those concerns
during a board meeting.
Will They Get Along?
What will it take for the board, the supervisor and the
assessor to do reach common ground?
“There’s nothing partisan, absolutely nothing,’’ Murphy
said. “There’s no reason for this animosity. I feel bad about
it. My door is always open.’’
He said neither his office nor the board is trying to control
the assessor’s department. “We’re just trying to manage the
money,’’ he said.
“As far as problems in the department go, we really
have not had any within the assessor’s office,’’ Helnore
said. “Any problems we have encountered have come from
other parts of the township. And I consider them more of a
distraction than anything else.
“I do not expect this situation to continue. All of our jobs
are determined by Illinois statute and we just need to focus
on them and what is best for the entire township. I am very
positive about that.
“I believe we create our own merit and ultimately are
judged by our deeds and accomplishments. I am very
proud of our accomplishments in the Belvidere Township
Assessor’s Office and think they have been significant.’’

Click on the following for the original story and photos:  http://boonecountyjournal.com/news/2010/Boone-County-News-06-04-10.pdf#page=3