Jun 5, 2002 By Paul Sunyak 3 min read

The Fayette County Salary Board agreed Tuesday to create the position of an assistant director in the Tax Assessment Office, at a salary of $24,297 per year. The person hired to fill the post would work as a specialized assessor for the Clean & Green Program, would oversee mineral rights assessments and would serve as a general understudy to Chief Assessor James A. Hercik, CPE. Hercik, who made the request, said money was budgeted in 2002 for two positions in his office, that of a Clean & Green assessor and that of an administrative assistant. He said that combining the two proposed jobs into one position made the most sense, from financial and organizational standpoints.

The yet-to-be-hired person would work a lot initially on Clean & Green, a state mandated program that gives owners of land tracts of 10 acres or more a preferential tax assessment in exchange for limitations on development of the property.

Hercik said that every year, the Clean & Green tax assessments must be updated to reflect new per-acre rates compiled by the state Department of Agriculture.

On an informational topic, Hercik updated the salary board on the county’s plan to hire 10 experienced employees of Cole Layer Trumble, the firm conducting the first countywide reassessment in 44 years.

Hercik said the employees’ unemployment compensation insurance benefits would be adversely impacted if they were hired by the county as contract employees from July through November. He said that would not be the case if they were hired as part-time employees.

The former CLT workers would be paid from the county’s bond fund, as originally envisioned when the bond was floated in 2000. They would assist during a period when the county expects to handle a one-time flurry of formal tax assessment appeals.

Controller Mark Roberts, a member of the salary board, told Hercik he would be available for a special meeting to set the wages of those part-time workers any time after this week.

The salary board, including Commissioners Ronald M. Nehls, Vincent A. Vicites and Sean M. Cavanagh, also:

– Created a $15,483-per-year position of county records keeper/archivist. Clerk of Courts Janice Snyder said the county records committee, which includes row officers whose office proceeds are funding the position, are concerned mostly about the coordination that will be needed to keep track of various office files.

Snyder added that the records committee hopes to generate enough funds to be able to add a part-time staffer to this effort in the future.

– Created the new position of collections coordinator in Snyder’s office, at a yearly rate of $16,555.50. Snyder said this person is vitally needed to ensure that her office collects court-imposed fines, a revenue stream that benefits the county when proper tracking and enforcement of those court sentences take place.

– Created a new maintenance I position in the Building and Grounds Department, at the request of director Jack Frith. He said he plans to promote a worker who currently earns $6.51 per hour into the new $7.19-per-hour position. Frith said he could make the move because his department budget contains enough extra money and because the worker has done an excellent job.