The newly hired appraiser, Lynn Panaro Taylor of Oakwood, is an attorney who has a background in real estate law.
“As you can see, I have implemented many positive changes with the appraiser teams,” Plummer said in an e-mail response to questions. “I am committed to the continued development of the appraisal process.”
Plummer said he is using the resources of the Dayton Board of Realtors and Sinclair Community College, as well offering seminars from a certified appraiser.
Plummer said he’s working on changes in technology to make the appraisal process more efficient. He’s also having appraisers distribute brochures listing resources people can use to assist with foreclosures, with the goal of keeping people in their homes.
Ethics investigation remains open
The Ohio Ethics Commission investigation of Plummer’s hiring of Solomon remains open, according to Paul Nick, interim executive director. Solomon worked as an independent contractor doing appraisals since she was hired in 2005 by Plummer’s predecessor, former Sheriff David Vore. Plummer, who was Vore’s chief deputy and successor in 2008, said he had no role in Solomon’s hiring and kept her on because he thought he was allowed to do so.
Ohio ethics law prohibits a public official from authorizing or influencing the employment of a family member, including a spouse, sibling, child, parent, grandparent or grandchild. Last year David Freel, then the ethics commission’s executive director, said a public official may not continue to use a relative on a case-by-case basis for contract work even if the relative was doing the work prior to the public official taking office.
The sheriff’s sale appraisal system has been controversial across the state, with allegations of political patronage and dismay over the amount of money appraisers earned during the recent years of record foreclosures in Ohio.
Questions have also been raised about whether the appraisers spend an adequate amount of time on the appraisals and whether the work should instead be done by professional appraisers.
Appraisal programs operated by sheriffs in Montgomery, Butler, Hamilton, Lucas and Cuyahoga counties have come under fire in recent years.
A decades-old state law gives sheriffs wide latitude in hiring whoever they want to appraise foreclosed properties for sheriff’s sale. The law requires that three appraisers review each property, but sets no requirements for training, licensing or experience. They are not county employees, instead working as independent contractors, and are paid with fees attorneys for banks and mortgage companies deposit with the county clerk of courts when foreclosures are filed.
Bob Cornwell, executive director of the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association said there have been no changes proposed at the state level. State Sen. Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering, said budget discussions will be dominating activities so reforming the sheriff’s sale process likely is on the back burner. State Rep. Clayton Luckie, D-Dayton, said he doesn’t think the law needs changed, except to require appraisal training.
Fees, appraisals and appraisers decrease
Plummer last year called for reforms in the law and said he would revamp Montgomery County’s system. He denied that the connections his appraisers had with his office or political party, or contributions made by some of them to his election campaign influenced the decision to use those individuals as appraisers.
Eight of 10 appraisers working for Plummer in 2010 were registered Republicans, as is Plummer. Nine contributed to his campaigns. Four appraisers are retired from the sheriff’s office, including two who county records show retired on disability — James W. Scenters of Kettering and Lawrence J. Schroeder Jr. of New Lebanon.
Panaro Taylor is not registered with any political party in Montgomery County, and a review of Plummer’s previous campaign finance reports show no contributions from her. She could not be reached for comment.
The number of sheriff’s sale appraisals declined nearly 1.5 percent in Montgomery County last year, Plummer said reflecting in part the impact of a brief bank moratorium on foreclosures last year. But payments to appraisers declined dramatically, mostly due to Montgomery County Common Pleas judges ordering that the per appraisal fee be reduced to $60 from the $85 that had been being paid without court authorization, said Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Greg Brush. Appraisal payments declined 30 percent to $888,771 in 2010.
Investigators could not determine who authorized the higher payments to appraisers.
Appraiser pay cuts in 2010 ranged from 22 percent each for Kathleen R. Brill of Miamisburg and James K. Davis of Brookville, to 91 percent for Solomon, who was fired in January but still had earned $13,330 in 2010. Scenters, whose $151,456 in pay made him the highest earning appraiser in 2009, saw his payments decline 35 percent to $99,140 in 2010. Due to a lag in billing, some payments from 2009 appraisals were likely made in 2010, Brush said.
Also last year, officials discovered that the county had not been filing federal tax forms on the income earned by appraisers. Brush said the county began filing the required forms last year.
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