Dorr Township Assessor Patti Sampley finally will get an amended independent contract after a 5-2 vote of the Township Board Thursday night.
Sampley’s new contract will have her be paid $70,400 for the 2017-18 fiscal year and $20,400 in each of the two following years. She also will be reimbursed $3,665.04 because she was underpaid owning to a record keeping error last year.
Sampley was awarded a special agreement over three years because she performed reassessing duties, mandated by a state audit. She had asked the Township Board last month to fix the clerical mistake, but her request was delayed by Clerk Debbie Sewers, who said she felt uncomfortable without an attorney examining the wording.
The township a couple of years ago failed on 11 of the 13 new state assessing regulations in an audit, but this year passed on nine. Township Treasurer Jim Martin indicated most of the 1,000 townships in Michigan failed to meet the new regulations, in fact, only about a dozen passed. The new regulations were the result of the state’s desire to have all municipalities doing things in the same way.
Sampley in 2015 was granted permission to put in more hours and receive higher wages for her services because of the extra work load. She had been working for an annual salary of $68,000, but was to get $150,000 over three years for the extra duties in updating the township’s assessing practices.
Then-Clerk Brian Boot said in 2014 that he didn’t like the added expense, but if the assessing wasn’t upgraded, the state would come in and do work on 3,200 parcels at even more added cost.
Trustee Terri Rios agreed with Sewers’ misgivings, saying there was a difference between paying Sampley $3,600 and insisting the township overpaid her by $10,000.
Rios and Sewers cast the two dissenting votes to the motion to approve the amended contract.
PHOTO: Assessor Patti Sampley
