County Seeks Loan for Assessor’s Office

County leaders agreed this week to tell state officials that the assessor’s office is interested in borrowing up to $1.5 million to speed up the processing of taxpayer appeals.

Under the State-County Property Tax Administrative Program, Ventura County is eligible for up to $1.5 million in loans that it could use in part to clear up more than 4,000 assessment appeals.

“The purpose of the loan program is for counties to borrow money and get rid of this backlog so property owners get relief sooner,” said County Assessor Glenn Gray. “The crux of the matter is whether we can work out some repayment terms.”

The Board of Supervisors’ action Tuesday merely involves informing the State Department of Finance that the county wants to begin negotiations for the loan money. Gray said he does not know the state’s repayment terms, but said the county would have to repay any amount borrowed by June 30 of the fiscal year following the year the loan was made.

Gray said the county began falling behind on appeals when property values started declining significantly in the early 1990s, causing property owners to ask for changes on their assessments. At the same time, Gray said the county has cut back on staff, further limiting the county assessor’s ability to handle appeals and other tasks such as mandatory business audits.