On February 28, 2023, MACo Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally testified before the House Ways and Means Committee to support HB 1095 – Property Tax – Supervisors of Assessments – Alterations with amendments.
This bill authorizes the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) to appoint a supervisor of assessments to oversee multiple counties.
As current law requires a supervisor for each county, MACo urges amendments to require each affected county’s governing body to sign off on a proposal to appoint a supervisor to oversee multiple jurisdictions.
From the MACo Testimony:
HB 1095 seeks to target one small sector of [the larger trend of public sector employee shortages] – professional assessors employed by SDAT. This bill would authorize SDAT to appoint a supervisor to oversee multiple counties. Under the bill, if a supervisor oversees multiple counties, the county in which the Department determines the office of the supervisor shall be located must provide the supervisor with an office.
MACo has no quarrel with granting SDAT the flexibility to appoint a supervisor to oversee multiple counties, as the Department could reallocate funds to hire more assessors. However, counties request an amendment to make an appointment of an assessor to oversee multiple jurisdictions subject to the approval of the governing body in each affected county.
More on MACo’s Advocacy:
Learn more about MACo’s 2023 Legislative Initiatives
Read more General Assembly News on MACo’s Conduit Street blog
