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Y! MyWebSodders defends office; no criminal probe for Marshall
Related: Audit: Property values illegally changed
Thursday, October 09, 2008
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Clark County Auditor George Sodders' office changed some 2007 property bills and valuations without following the process set out in the law, according to a state audit released Thursday, Oct. 9.
The audit report found that 64 percent of 25 tax bills reviewed were changed without the approval of the county's board of revision and that some of the original property record cards are missing. The changes were made during the first-half tax collection in 2008, which ended Feb. 15.
"Altering property tax documents and changing property values without proper approval is a serious oversight," Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor said in a statement. "We have notified the Ohio Department of Taxation about the issue and my office will continue to monitor the situation in future audit reports."
The only changes allowed by law without board of revision approval are the correction of clerical errors, Taylor said. Taylor said Sodders' employees made changes that corrected "fundamental errors," such as the inaccurate assessment of individual property values.
In a written response to Thursday's audit, Sodders said his employees did nothing wrong and that state auditors aren't qualified to audit property records. Sodders said the auditor's findings did not give an definition of clerical errors and the office's standards are practices approved by the Department of Taxation.
"We respectfully submit that employees of the state auditor's office lack the necessary appraisal credentials to audit real property records," the response stated.
"I can't add much more than that," Sodders told the News-Sun in an interview Thursday.
Department of Taxation officials had warned Sodders in March against changing property values that were not clerical errors. That department is now looking into the issue, said spokesman John Kohlstrand.
"We are reviewing the audit very carefully and examining our options," Kohlstrand said.
Marshall pays $1,800
The audit also ordered former auditor's office employee Lynn Marshall to repay more than $1,800 for mileage and overtime that Marshall was paid but apparently did not earn.
State officials said the auditor's office began to investigate Marshall's mileage and overtime compensation after he appealed to the State Personnel Board of Review what he said was an unfair demotion. The mileage discrepancies were first reported in the Springfield News-Sun.
Marshall submitted for mileage and overtime for attending township trustee and other governmental meetings throughout the county. A review by the state found no meetings had been held on some of the nights Marshall claimed. Marshall has repaid the county $1,853 in mileage and overtime compensation, according to the audit.
Marshall's repayment of the money is a civil issue that has been resolved, said Andrew Picek, assistant Clark County prosecutor. Picek said he is unaware of any criminal investigation into Marshall's activities.
There were 11 instances from 2005 to 2006 where Marshall billed the county for mileage and overtime to attend meetings which did not occur, the audit states. The audit also sought a refund for "unreasonable amount of miles requested for reimbursement." In one instance, Marshall claimed a 55-mile round trip to the Village of Clifton, but officials determined the trip was actually 23 miles.
Marshall criticized Sodders' handling of the county's 2007 property revaluation after inconsistencies were found among property values. In March, he filed three appeals to the state, claiming that Sodders demoted him from administrator to special projects coordinator in retaliation for being a whistle-blower about the revaluation.
A News-Sun investigation in June found Marshall was paid nearly $6,000 in mileage reimbursement and $12,378 in overtime in 2006, according to the auditor's office payroll documents.
Marshall resigned in July. In an agreement with Sodders, Marshall dropped the appeals with the state in exchange for the county to discontinue an internal investigation into his overtime and mileage records.
Phone calls Thursday to Marshall for comment were not returned.
Hearings continue
A record-breaking 2,836 appeals were filed after the county's 2007 propoerty revaluation, which was conducted by Findlay-based Appraisal Research Corp. Property value appeal hearings will continue through November, though the hearing board for residential and agricultural properties is almost done, Sodders said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0374 or boutten@coxohio.com.
