Audits in two Osceola County townships in Missouri turned up incomplete and outdated property assessment records that may require complete reappraisals of every parcel. In late 2015, an Evart Township-based appraisal firm revealed trouble regarding 11 governmental units in three counties pertaining to clients’ contracted appraisals.
Cushman Appraisals either terminated contracts on their own or had contracts terminated by a unit, according to the Clear County Review. However, township board minutes from a December meeting indicated that the Cushman firm had not fulfilled its contract obligations, including the attending of Board of Review meetings.
Brian Cushman, who is an employee of Cushman Appraisals, said: “I’m an appraiser. We let those units go in response to the units concerned over incomplete or outdated property assessments. An assessor is never done with assessing, it’s a continuous job.”
Every parcel must be visited in person every four years to witness if data needs to be updated, but this was not carried out and at least several dozen structures had not been assessed, the townships said.
The communities involved, Middle Branch and Hersey Township, hired assessing consultant Shila Kiander of Big Rapids to audit their assessment records and to fill in as interim assessor. Kiander had recommended in March a complete review of Middle Branch property cards at a cost of $30 per card. Middle Branch has a total of 984 parcels.
Middle Branch terminated the Cushman contract as of Dec. 21, 2015, according to the meeting’s minutes.
The township decided it wanted a fresh look on assessing, according to the source. It hired an independent person to audit some of the appraisal records that produced results people were not happy to see. The township has received complaints of ‘unresponsiveness’ about the former assessor. The township will be recruiting a replacement.
Treasurer Sarah Dvoracek has been assigned assessing duties. She also assesses property for neighboring townships.