Coles Co. (ECWd)-
We covered the inconsistencies in the property tax concerns for the now-convicted and former Fire Protection District trustees’ home in this article.
After our request for assessment records for the last 6 years on the property in question, according to his Mother, Shirley Willison, the East Oakland-Morgan Multi Township Assessor, she could not assess her son’s home, just as we suspected and indicated in our article. Communications received between the County Supervisor of Assessments’ office and Shirley Willison related to this matter should concern everyone, especially if you see your property tax bill go up.
“I couldn’t assess it anyway, nor mine, but I thought I need to ask if there is anything someone else might have done on it.”
While we appreciate the acknowledgement that she could not assess her son’s property or her own, the second part of the statement raised a red flag. How would “someone else” know that those assessments needed to be done? Did she request someone else to do them because she can’t?
We submitted a Freedom of Information Act request today for a copy of all communications received by the Supervisor of Assessments requesting that office to perform assessments on properties that the Township or Multi-Township assessors or contracted assessors are not permitted to perform the assessments on, such as on their own homes or homes of family members. The date range for this request is the last 10 years and it is for ALL requests received.
We do not expect to receive any such requests as it relates to the Oakland assessments for this property, considering the response from the Supervisor of Assessments office to Willison.
“We have no record of any actual assessor work submitted but I have attached copies of the 6 year history of assessments on the property.”
In order to see any actual assessor work, wouldn’t logic dictate that it would require the assessors, Mrs. Willison, to ask for someone to do those assessments that she is not permitted to do?
I think a fair question for every homeowner in Oakland who saw their property tax go up is, why was their property assessed but not the assessor’s son’s property?
We note that the Assessors’ property, which she cannot assess herself, was purchased in 2012 for $34,000.00 according to the property tax information on the County GIS system at this link. 
In 2012, that property had a taxable value of $15,201.00. In 2024, the same property tax card indicates a taxable value of $2,337.00, which represents $12,864 reduction in taxable value.
Taxable Value by year:
- 2012 – $15,201.00
- 2013 – $15,201.00
- 2014 – $15,201.00
- 2015 – $16,330.00
- 2016 – $16,041.00
- 2017 – $13,945.00
- 2018 – $5,041.00
- 2019 – $5,041.00
- 2020 – $5,620.00
- 2021 – $5,787.00
- 2022 – $6,750.00
- 2023 – $2,337.00
- 2024 – $2,337.00
How many homes in Oakland have seen this kind of drop in their taxable value?
Who is assessing the assessor’s property?
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