Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
DAVENPORT-One of the longest tenured incumbents running for county office has only been in the poisition for 3.5 years, and he can be found in the assessor's office. J Scott Liebing is running to retain the position he was appointed to in 2018 and re-elected to for the 2019-2022 term.
Liebing is running unopposed on this year's ballot.
"The alternative would be that I have to change careers altogether," Liebing said. "The first term went by really fast, and I'm now looking forward to the next four years."
Liebing was first hired in the assessor's office by Frosty Freeze in July 2006 after a career in real estate. He was appointed as assessor in 2018 to finish Mark Hammond's term before winning re-election.
He currently oversees the four-person department, which has been reduced since its seven-person office that ran the show upon Liebing's arrival.
The assessor's office oversees real property assessments, business property assessments, the senior/disabled persons exemption and discount program and the levy process.
While limited by having only four employees, Liebing said the office attempts to assess all six evaluation areas in Lincoln County every six years.
"Sometimes we'll evaluate a property sooner based on new construction," Liebing said.
Last year, the office evaluated the Reardan area, and is working on the Davenport area this year.
"Reardan taxes went up as values went up last year," Liebing said. "This year, Davenport will bring up...I believe as a result, Reardan will go down."
Contrary to popular belief, the assessor's office doesn't set property tax amounts, but instead sets property values through which taxes are determined.
"We don't set your taxes," Liebing said. "Our job is to set the fair market value."
"The knee-jerk response from the taxpayer is usually, 'this is too much, how do I cut it?'" he added. "We try to educate and ask if they feel you couldn't sell the home at that assessment. Most people could sell for more than the assessment."
The assessor's office also oversees GIS parcel mapping, which has been available online since 2010, Liebing said. Properties can be searched by name, parcel number or address.
"In most cases, sales are online within 24 hours," Liebing said. "that's not easy to do."
The assessor's office works closely with most of the 45 taxing districts in Lincoln County, which are distributed in roughly 75 taxing code areas.
Schools are often the exception, as they are large enough to need less help from the assessor's office, Liebing said. Smaller districts, like fire districts and cemetery districts, need more assistance.
"The smaller the taxing district, the more we work with them," Liebing said.
Liebing said he's looking forward to another four and possibly eight years in the assessor role.
"I have zero complaints whatsoever," Liebing said. "Although the job has its moments, the job is not what most people would refer to as a fun job."
BIO
Office sought: Assessor
Age: 56
Family: Married with four adult children and five grandchildren
Hometown: Davenport
Current city of residence: Davenport
Relevant experience: Lincoln County Assessor, Personal Property Deputy, real estate at Pioneer Title
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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