State seeks hearing on Hitchcock County allegations

TRENTON, Neb. -- The attorney for the Nebraska Department of Revenue has asked for a hearing and preliminary conference before the Nebraska tax commissioner considers allegations that the Hitchcock County assessor played favorites as she raised and lowered property valuations.

Revenue department attorney Jon Cannon filed a petition for the hearing on March 23. According to the Hitchcock County News newspaper, Cannon is asking that county assessor Marlene Bedore be ordered to implement corrective measures outlined by Ruth Sorenson, the state's property tax administrator, in October 2015.

Cannon's petition points out that the Department of Revenue is also recommending an additional corrective measure, that Bedore's assessor's license be suspended for a period of not less than one year.

Bedore took office in January 2015 and by May of the same year, the Nebraska Department of Revenue was fielding questions about her methods of setting property values and started an investigation. The department's report indicated that there was a pattern to suggest that properties had been adjusted with a bias.

Cannon's petition states that Sorenson's investigation lead to her recommendation that Bedore be placed on probation for not longer than one year, that failures in Hitchcock County assessment practices were due to her "willful failure or refusal to perform statutory duties, coupled with a deliberate concealment of information from the public and from the (county) Board."

Cannon's petition indicates that Bedore has not implemented certain corrective measures as of March 23.

The petition asks that hearing officer Jim Titus schedule the preliminary conference so that he is aware of the issues in the case in anticipation of a hearing before the state's tax commissioner.