SWEETWATER COUNTY — Dave Divis has announced his intention to run for the Office of Sweetwater County Assessor.
He is the current Sweetwater County Assessor and has been since February 2018.
Divis’ press release is as follows:
My name is Dave Divis, and I am announcing my intention to run for the Office of Sweetwater County Assessor.
I have held the position of Chief Deputy Assessor since 2012 and was appointed Assessor by the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners in February of 2018.
I graduated from the University of Wyoming with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
I am a permanently certified tax appraiser by the Wyoming Department of Revenue, and have received 379 hours ofcontinuing education in the assessment field.
My work history in Sweetwater County started in 1991 when I was hired by former Sweetwater County Treasurer, Betsy Sue Peverley.
My career in the Treasurer’s Office started as an auto clerk, and over time, I was promoted to tax deputy and then office manager.
I was hired in the Assessor’s Office in 2012, by newly appointed Assessor, Pat Drinkle.
The valuation numbers provided by the Assessor are scrutinized by the Wyoming Department of Revenue and the Wyoming State Board of Equalization on a yearly basis.
The Assessor must comply with all statutory requirements for the mean, median, coefficient of dispersion, and price related differential.
The Assessor must also be a permanently certified appraiser.
Along with verifying the statistical requirements, the Wyoming Department of Revenue will audit assessment practices within the county each year to make sure each Assessor is compliant with IAAO (International Association of Assessing Officers) standards and Department of Revenue rules. I recently celebrated my 5th year of membership with the IAAO.
A skilled Assessor must be experienced with the requirements of the Wyoming Department of Revenue and the State Board of Equalization.
The County Assessor must be able to interpret and apply constantly changing statutes and rules to properties within the county. The Assessor must be able to defend their values and assessment practices to both of those state agencies, but more importantly, to the taxpayers of Sweetwater County.
My work history in local government gives me a very unique perspective in the assessment/taxation field. I have seen the process from start to finish.
Not only can I discuss value and assessment with taxpayers, I can also explain the taxation and distribution of tax dollars, because I have been working in both for 27 years.
“Assess all taxable property within the County of Sweetwater, at its fair value” is a key portion of the oath I took as Assessor, and I intend to continue to administer the office in that manner.
I have the support of former Assessors, Pat Drinkle and Dave Rauzi, along with the support of the current staff in the office.
Since 2012, I have built relationships with the staff of the State Board of Equalization, the Wyoming Department of Revenue, the other Assessors throughout the state, our local legislators, the industry representatives we work with, our industrial appraisers, and the taxpayers of this county.
I feel I am the most qualified candidate for the office of Sweetwater County Assessor.
I would appreciate your vote.