Salt Lake County…A career with a purpose in the community you love!
Salt Lake County invites you to explore our exciting career opportunities. We seek highly enthusiastic individuals to enrich our County with your experience and talent. If you enjoy working in a team environment that is committed to changing the lives of its community, please keep reading.
What it is like to work here:
At Salt Lake County our culture is woven into all aspects of our work and our employees’ lives, from the way we treat each other to the way we support the community. To promote and foster a fun and healthy work environment, we appreciate employees through great benefits, a healthy work life balance and room to grow and develop.
Surround yourself with:
Peers who are motivated to make a difference in the lives of those we serve. We serve Salt Lake County and envision a safe and beautiful place for all to live work and have fun. Salt Lake County is about connecting people and championing our community. Community is more than a place….its our heart and service that bring us together.
JOB SUMMARY
Administers daily operations of the Board of Equalization (BOE). Conducts complex tax appeal hearings. Leads and supervises hearing officer staff. Represents the division on inter-agency property taxation committees. Provides strategic and tactical planning for the Board of Equalization operations.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or Management, Public Administration, or other applicable field, plus six (6) years of related experience; OR an equivalent combination of related education and experience. Education may not be substituted for the required supervisory experience.
Candidates with documented supervisory experience and/or prior work as a hearing officer or administrative law judge are preferred. Certified appraisers, attorneys/lawyers, and individuals holding a Master’s or PhD may be deemed to have accumulated the six (6) required years of related experience.
Due to the nature of this position, the successful applicant must pass a required background check through fingerprinting and enrollment in the continuous RAP Back (Record of Arrest and Prosecution Back) program in accordance with current County Human Resources policy requirements.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Assigns, monitors, and evaluates the work generated by BOE hearing officers. Evaluates hearing officers’ application of relevant legal standards, evidentiary weight, and proper appraisal technique.
- Administers the daily operations of the BOE and coordinates operations with the Assessor's and Auditor’s Offices.
- Assists in strategic and tactical planning, development, evaluation, and coordination of the Board of Equalization.
- Supervises and mentors staff, which includes hiring, orienting, training, assigning, and reviewing work performance, annual work performance appraisals, and discipline.
- Approves payroll for assigned hearing officers.
- Represents the division as chair or member of the Property Tax Committee, Board of Equalization Planning Committee, and E-Process Committee to facilitate the coordination, discussion, and implementation of county policy.
- Acts as Senior Hearing Officer by conducting complex and extraordinary residential, commercial, and personal property hearings for the BOE and preparing recommendations in the form of findings and conclusions for all areas of oversight by the Tax Administration Office, including Board of Equalization, Property Tax Committee, and for complex tax relief issues.
- Inspects and reviews evidentiary information and data from applicants for BOE and determines the admissibility of information based on rules and policy.
- Develops initial training workshop for temporary hearing officers and conducts regular staff meetings while the BOE is in session.
- Troubleshoots and resolves property tax issues for taxpayers, the County Council, and other county offices.
- Represents the Tax Administrator/Division Director in his/her absence.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES (KSA)
Knowledge of:
- Residential and commercial real property and personal property valuation practices and methodologies, including understanding of appraisals, sales contracts, closing statements, lease agreements, financial statements, and comparable market data
- Utah tax laws, state tax commission rules, and county ordinances governing property tax administration
- County tax system office functions and process flows relating to property tax and assessment cycles
- Effective supervisory methods and techniques, including training, scheduling of work assignments, and delegation of projects with oversight
- Advanced training techniques to maximize hearing officer and staff development
- The legislative process, administrative law, and legal standards applicable to property tax administration
- Local county government organization
- Local area real estate values and trends, real estate transaction processes, and familiarity with associated documents
- Public relations and conflict resolution techniques
- Data analysis, report writing, and administrative decisions
- Microsoft Office Suite programs
Skills and Abilities to:
- Write persuasively
- Interpret and apply general rules and policies to individual complex valuations and legal appeal issues
- Develop a detailed understanding of the Assessor’s assessment practices and appraisal methodologies, including statistical valuation methods
- Review and interpret complex valuation and financial statements and documents, including fee appraisals, personal property inventory statements, financial pro formas, income and expense statements, and direct capitalization calculations
- Manage, schedule, and delegate large volumes of work products
- Review substantial numbers of administrative decisions
- Research various county tax system resources to provide recommendations regarding applicants’ appeals
- Develop and maintain open communication, interact, and liaison with other County tax offices and the public in a professional manner
- Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
- Interpret and apply policies and procedures
- Read legal descriptions and locate parcels on plat maps
- Effectively develop word processing documents, and create and manipulate spreadsheet and database data
WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
Work duties are typically performed in a general office setting, but with potential exposure to volatile and abusive citizens and customers.