New Adams County assessor settles into the job

RITZVILLE — Veronica Rodriguez said the first 30 days as Adams County assessor have been pretty busy.

“Extremely busy. This is our busy time,” she said.

Rodriguez was appointed to the job Sept. 27 by the Adams County commissioners. She replaces Sherri Brewer, who retired at the end of September.

Rodriguez is the first Hispanic woman to hold an elected office in Adams County, she said. A second candidate, Curtis Templin, withdrew from consideration before the commissioners announced a decision.

Rodriguez worked in the assessor’s office for six years as an administrative assistant before applying for the job. She knew the assessor’s office functions, she said, and its office procedures. She was encouraged to apply by other members of the office staff.

“It just seemed like the next move to make,” she said.

Rodriguez is a native of Othello, a graduate of Othello High School who did what a lot of other kids do after high school — go away to college and figure they’d pursue a life and career away from home. She earned a degree in business, and eventually moved back home in 2009. Since 2014, she has lived in Ritzville.

She likes working in the assessor’s office, she said, because it gives her a chance to put her skills to work to help people.

Not everyone understands the processes, she said, and people don’t always know whether their property qualifies for certain tax programs. Some Adams County property owners know little or no English, and she was able to put her bilingual skills to work to help them.

For a while, Rodriguez was the only Spanish speaker at the courthouse, she said, and was asked to translate in other county offices.

“It’s nice to be able to take that extra step to help people,” she said.

The assessor’s office is in charge of valuing Adams County property, both what’s called real property and what’s called personal property.

Real property is land and buildings, Rodriguez said, from houses to downtown businesses to processing facilities. Personal property is the material owned by a business, its equipment and furnishings.

Procedures like boundary line adjustments and land plats also are reviewed by the assessor’s office, she said. Its staff works with other county offices, chiefly the treasurer and auditor, to ensure land valuations and land transactions are handled properly.