Petition to recall Bannock County Commissioners

The Bannock County Commissioners are now facing a recall along with County Assessor Sheri Davies.

The group Pocatello-Bannock Home Owners Alliance is now asking for the resignation of all the Bannock County Commissioners after what they are calling the property assessment fiasco.

With the slogan “Recall them all”, the Alliance wants to hold the Commissioners and the Assessor responsible for the way the property assessments were handled this year.

Many Bannock County Residents are very upset about the 20% to 50% increase in some assessed property values from the last assessment.

3,090 people filed an appeal for a hearing with the Board of Equalization to contest the increases.

The BOE that consists of the Bannock County Commissioners was only able to hear 610 of those appeals, so they issued several blanket reductions to tax payers who filed appeals.

Claudia Ortega, organizer of the group to recall the Assessor and Commissioners says that “The hearings were arbitrary, some people got hearings, some people didn’t, some people got reductions, some people are getting a neighborhood bulk reduction. It is absolutely the most disjointed, illogical thing I have ever seen in my life.”

She started the petition drive to collect signatures to recall Sheri Davies last week and today the group added the Bannock County Commissioners to the petition drive.

The Pocatello-Bannock Home Owners Alliance has seen a very positive response to the drive.

They have already collected thousands of signatures on their way to the 10 thousand they are seeking to get the recall on the ballot for the November election.

If you want to sign the petition, the next time they will have a booth is at the Alive at 5 celebration Wednesday night in Old Town Pocatello.