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Friday, July 13, 2007

Ind. Law - Governor replaces commissioner of the Department of Local Government Finance; she starts Monday

A press release from the Governor's Office:

INDIANAPOLIS (July 13, 2007) – Governor Mitch Daniels today appointed Cheryl Musgrave, president of the Vanderburgh County Commission, as the new commissioner of the Department of Local Government Finance. Musgrave replaces Melissa Henson, who resigned effective June 29.

“Cheryl is a former assessor who knows a quality assessment from a botched one. She's a current county commissioner who understands the role schools, libraries, municipal and county governments all play in pushing up total local spending, and she shares my view that aggressive reform and streamlining of local government is the only long-term solution to excess property taxes,” said Daniels.

“I have asked Cheryl to be as aggressive as possible in using the powers and information-gathering capabilities of DLGF to bring down property taxes wherever possible. It appears that DLGF has been too accommodating in some past cases; with her appointment, those days are over,” he said.

Musgrave, 49, has more than a dozen years of public service experience, currently as president of the Vanderburgh County Commission. She began her term in January 2005 and became president of the commission in November 2005. Musgrave has been instrumental in providing the public with Internet access to government information, restructuring economic development groups in the county, and she managed the response to the November 2005 tornado in the unincorporated county.

As Vanderburgh County Assessor from 1995 to 2005, Musgrave was the first assessor to complete the 2002 reassessment cycle as well as the first in the state to create an assessment and property sales Web site. She first became involved in county government as a citizen board member to the Vanderburgh County Board of Review where she worked for equitable application of the state’s tax laws. Musgrave is a 1979 graduate of DePauw University.

Musgrave’s appointment is effective July 16. She also will resign from the Vanderburgh County Commission effective on the same day. [emphasis added]

It turns out the ILB had an entry about the Vanderburgh assessor's website in 2004.

[More] The Indianapolis Star has just posted this story about the appointment, that concludes:

So far, legislative leaders have not endorsed the idea of a special session, although support is growing among some lawmakers, particularly those who represent Marion County.

But one of the first jobs will be getting the proper data to determine the scope of the problem -- a job that will fall in large part to Musgrave. Daniels called her "tough as nails."

Musgrave, 49, said her job will be to see that the state's laws are enforced, and that property is assessed fairly. She replaces Melissa Henson, who resigned in June for personal reasons, unrelated to the current tax furor.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 13, 2007 10:17 AM
Posted to Indiana Government | Indiana Law