Appraisers working for the El Paso County assessor have been paying for travel and meals out of their own pockets for years so they can keep up with training that’s required to be licensed to value property for tax purposes.

At the same time, county commissioners, who cut departments’ travel budgets and vowed to eliminate their own travel amid a budget crunch and layoffs, have attended meetings this year in Washington, D.C., Florida, Texas and Vail.

“It looks like we’re subsidizing commissioners running all over the country,” Assessor Mark Lowderman said.

In 2005, county commissioners eliminated Lowderman’s $22,000 travel budget. That’s meant his 21 appraisers have had to chip in their own money for lodging and meals at the annual Breckenridge training meetings. Lodging costs about $170 each for a shared condo.

Without the adequate hours of training, assessor’s appraisers would not be able to keep their licenses to appraise real estate for tax purposes.

“That would cripple this office’s ability to ensure that all taxable property is on the tax rolls,” Lowderman said.

The licensing law states “all reasonable costs” of training “shall be paid by the county.”

“It doesn’t sit well with me that my appraisers are having to pay their own lodging to maintain a license they’re required to carry when it’s outlined in state statute that cost will be borne by the county,” Lowderman said.

County Attorney Bill Louis said he wasn’t familiar with that law and couldn’t comment until he confers with county commissioners.

Commissioners vowed to eliminate their travel this year and sharply curtail all county travel amid a budget crunch that’s resulted in eliminating 200 county jobs.

Through June, the county’s travel costs fell by 49 percent, to $137,143, compared to the first six months of 2008.

Commissioners cut their travel spending by 13 percent, to $13,013, the first half of 2009.

Commissioner Sallie Clark said commissioners approved the assessor’s budget as requested and didn’t cut his travel.

Lowderman said, “I would think that part of their approval process would include the knowledge that $22,000 is in my budget in January of each year since 2005 and removed within the first couple weeks of the year.”

Clark said her $5,600 in travel spending this year for trips was essential to her job. She attended National Association of Counties meetings in Washington, D.C., and Fort Myers, Fla., a meeting of county officials in Vail, and an economic development visit in Austin.

“We need to participate to make changes at the federal and state levels that benefit our citizens locally from a financial standpoint,” Clark said. “We can’t be stuck here all the time and not be communicating on the state and federal level.”

Her service on one committee, she said, prevented a $1 million funding cut.

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Spc. Robert Hull Marko Photo by