Two candidates vying for the Republican nomination for Johnson County Auditor want to focus on making sure that local residents are receiving all of the tax breaks they should.
Incumbent Pamela Burton is being challenged by Ryan Rather, the deputy director of Johnson County 911, in the primary election. Whoever wins the Republican nomination doesn’t currently have a challenger in the fall election.
The auditor is responsible for overseeing the collection and distribution of county taxes and estimating how much tax revenue the county expects to receive each year. Another key issue the office handles is property tax deductions that limit how much homeowners pay in their taxes.
One of the key responsibilities of the auditor’s office is educating residents and making sure that they are getting all of the deductions they are eligible for, Burton and Rather said.
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The auditor’s office works with residents one-on-one to review their information when they file for deductions, to make sure that they are getting every dollar back that they can, Burton said.
“Every deduction is hand checked every year to make sure that taxpayers are getting what they apply for,” she said.
Rather wants the auditor’s office to be involved in community outreach, such as by visiting senior centers to provide information about the ways residents can save money on their taxes.
“There are these deductions you can get that people aren’t aware about,” he said. “I want to get that message out to people and help them.”
Both candidates said they see ways to improve how the auditor’s office functions.
Burton is working on developing better ways to analyze how much money each taxing district in the county is expected to receive in coming years, which makes it easier for towns and school districts to prepare their budgets.
Rather wants to find ways to streamline record management, such as moving to more electronic record keeping.
Rather also wants to address employee turnover in the auditor’s office, with employees leaving that office to work elsewhere in the county, he said.
Burton explained the turnover as employees moving to positions where they could make more money than she was able to pay them under her office’s budget.
“I would never stand in the way of an employee making more money and improving themselves and doing better for themselves and their family,” Burton said.
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Name: Pamela Burton
Party: Republican
Residence: Edinburgh
Family: Husband, James; children, Joshua and Samuel
Occupation: Johnson County Auditor
Educational background: Edinburgh High School, 1977
Political experience: Election as Johnson County Auditor in 2015
Memberships: Johnson County Women’s Republican Club
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Name: Ryan Rather
Party: Republican
Residence: Franklin
Family: Wife, Amy; Son, Joseph
Occupation: Johnson County 911 Deputy Director
Educational background: Franklin Community High School, 2000; ATA Aviation Academy, 2002
Political experience: None
Memberships: Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, National Emergency Number Association
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Johnson County Auditor
Area served: Johnson County
Duties: Serves as secretary to county commissioners and county council. Provides public notice for meetings, bids, budget rates, claims, tax sales and ordinances. Oversees tax calculations, audits of treasurer’s records and other tax issues, including tax deductions.
Term: Four years
Salary: $57,018
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