Why Bob is running...

By Bob Werner

After considerable thought and consultation, Bob has decided this is something he should pursue. With 15 years experience in property assessment and a good understanding of office personnel and procedures, we are confident that he will be the best-qualified candidate. He has served as a residential and agricultural field appraiser, as a Senior Appraiser in charge of an agricultural crew, and, most recently, as the Supervisor of Assessment Standards.

As Supervisor of Assessment Standards, he is responsible for the initial and ongoing training of all appraisal personnel, including the coordination of training with the State Board of Equalization. Bob is also responsible for the oversight of Information Technology for the office, in charge of determining ongoing hardware and software needs of the office, and overseeing application design and development. Finally, he works closely with the Assessor in analyzing proposed legislation to determine how it would affect office policy and procedures.

Fresno County residents will be directly affected by the efficient, or inefficient, operation of the Assessor's Office. With an inexperienced Assessor-Recorder, assessments could be incorrect, notices could be delayed, and office efficiency and morale could suffer. We do not want the Assessor's Office to become a stereotypical "government bureaucracy". On the contrary, we believe we need continue to increase its efficiency and level of service to the people of Fresno County.
In this "information age", we have come to expect better and faster service from public agencies. To meet these expectations, it will be important to increase access to the Assessor's Office by providing frequently requested information and documents on-line. We also need to develop a web-based filing system for agricultural and business property statements. To do so, we must continue to replace our dated, paper-based systems with computerized systems.

Technology alone, however, will not provide the efficiency and service needed. There is no substitute for a knowledgeable, caring, and visionary workforce. The efforts we put into training new personnel and cross-training existing personnel will be as important as the technology we employ in our efforts to better serve the people of Fresno County.

In addition, Bob believes the responsibilities of the Assessor-Recorder go beyond the confines of the office itself. In a time of declining revenues and increasing costs, county departments and agencies must work together to solve common problems. By avoiding duplication of effort and promoting interdepartmental cooperation, we can pool our limited resources and serve the public more efficiently.

Though the office of Assessor-Recorder is technical and "low-profile" in nature, it directly affects every property owner and business owner in Fresno County. Bob's conviction is that by diligently working to achieve the above goals, we can enhance our service to the community and make Fresno County an even better place in which to live and work.

Friends of Bob Werner