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July 12, 2005Assessor to be paid as fate is determinedAuditor's report delayed until Aug.ByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - The East Bay Township Board will give the embattled township assessor at least another paid month off before deciding if she'll keep her job. An ad hoc committee appointed to make a determination on assessor Tammi Simerson, who was suspended with pay on June 22, recommended the board wait for a final forensic auditor's report. With the report delayed until August, Simerson will be able to continue her summer vacation at taxpayers' expense. Many of the almost 100 residents who attended Monday night's meeting were not pleased. "Fire her, that was my opinion a year ago," resident Bill Herald said. Simerson's mother, township clerk Jan Gee, has been charged with seven felony counts of embezzlement from the township. Special forensic accountants hired by the township alleged that Gee also altered Simerson's income tax records to benefit Simerson in the amount of $2,475. Simerson was not charged because there was no proof she had knowledge of the benefit. Township supervisor Glen Lile suspended Simerson with pay and appointed an ad hoc committee to review concerns about irregularities in the assessor's office. The committee found several examples of both new and old homes that were not on the tax rolls, plus a condominium unit where just one of the three owners was assessed for the building. It also confirmed the results of a 2004 study done by the county equalization department that discovered errors on 100 percent of the 61 property tax assessment records pulled in the study. Resident Claudia Heindl agreed with a motion made by Lile to stop paying Simerson's salary, but reimburse her if she is reinstated. "Otherwise we will never see any of that money again," Heindl said. Treasurer Debora Watson asked trustee Leroy "Butch" Strait, a member of the ad hoc committee, if the committee "found cause" to keep Simerson suspended. "There's nothing there that said it should be changed," Strait said. Trustee Beth Friend asked attorney Chuck Judson if they could stop paying Simerson, and he recommended they go into closed session to discuss his legal opinion. When they came out Lile withdrew the motion based on the advice of their attorney and the board adjourned. See Related Stories: Errors pile up in review of East Bay records - July 10, 2005 Public backs East Bay Township probe leading to arrest of clerk - June 28, 2005 East Bay Township clerk charged with embezzlement felonies - June 23, 2005 Township officials pushed for audit leading to Gee's arrest - June 23, 2005
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