Dear Editor,
The voters of Sweetwater County are facing several critical election races this November.
In my opinion, one of the most critical is the race for county assessor. The election of a new assessor will have an impact on everyone that lives in Sweetwater County. I make this statement as an elected official with 30 years experience and as someone who works with the assessor’s office on a daily basis. The county’s taxation process starts with certified values that are set by the county assessor. These values are certified by the Wyoming Department of Revenue and the State Board of Equalization after meeting stringent statistical requirements. These certified values are required for all of the county’s taxing authorities to construct accurate budgets in a timely manner. Three school districts, six municipalities, the hospital, recreation board, events complex, library, museum, Southwest Counseling Service, general county administration and 17 special districts all depend on these certified values to provide service to our residents.
If, for some reason, these values are not certified, the entire taxation process fails.
Without this value certification, my office is unable to bill taxes. If I fail to bill the taxes in a timely fashion, collection can be delayed and these entities that depend on this revenue to operate can not meet their obligations. For this reason, I believe it is critical that we have a qualified and experienced Assessor.
Dave Divis, our current county assessor worked in my office for 21 years. Since that time, he has spent six years learning and becoming certified in the assessor’s office. This experience has helped Dave gain a thorough understanding of the entire taxation process. He has served in positions from auto clerk to office manager and has learned skills from collection of tax to distribution of tax dollars and creating values. Dave is a person who takes pride in the job that he does and is always willing to go the extra mile. I have seen Dave, many times help elderly customers by going out with them and installing license plates or stickers. For many years, Dave was responsible for working with customers that were upset or that did not understand certain rules or laws. Dave always handled the customers with respect and in most cases resolved the issues with excellent understanding.
Since moving to the assessor’s office, Dave has continued to be a knowledgeable, caring representative of the taxpayers of Sweetwater County.
He has proven to be a valuable elected official and has proven expertise in budgeting and managing the office of county assessor. I believe that the residents of Sweetwater County are fortunate to have Dave as our county assessor.
Please join me in voting Nov. 6 to keep Dave Divis, Sweetwater County Assessor.
Robb Slaughter
Green River
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