Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First

Janicek to serve as the new County Assessor

On the morning of December 20, 2013, the county commissioners met to discuss and review the resumes and to interview the applicant for county assessor. After the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer, the commissioners started the process to hire a new county assessor.

County clerk, Cathy Sibal started off the meeting by explaining that she made the local area aware of the County’s need for a new county assessor.

“I published in The Observer for two weeks about the need for a county assessor. I had no interest or calls as far as asking questions or those types of things. I sent out an email to all the county clerks across the state asked them to pass it on to their assessor’s offices and asked them to let everyone know who was interested. We have one applicant,” Sibal said.

Fran Janicek, who currently serves as deputy assessor is the only applicant for the opening position of county assessor. Commmisioner Larry Brower had no quarrels with at all with the notion of Janicek taking over as county assessor.

“I’ve known her for several years and I trust her, so I really don’t have many questions,” Commissioner Brower said.

Commissioner Engstrom asked about her qualifications and why she felt qualified to take over the position. Janicek provided the board with evidence of her qualifications by explaining the certification she had to test to receive and the class hours she must log to maintain the certificate.

“I have a lot of education with the assessor part of it because we do have to have those sixty hours every four years and they have to be approved by the department of assessment and taxation, they have to be approved by them, we just can’t go do the class but it has to be approved before we get credit for those hours. Those hours let us maintain our certificate that we have to test to acquire in the first place,” Janicek said.

Although confident in her abilities to perform the county assessor duties, Janicek expressed a bit of a worry on her mind concerning the new position.

“I will say I have not had the experience of being in a managerial job, but I can learn,” Janicek said.

Her willingness to learn and her taking the job seriously struck up an offer from Commissioner Nolting, who clearly reflected the feelings of the board on the matter of wanting to see Janicek succeed.

“If there are any leadership seminars that you would like to attend, I’m sure if you let us know we could arrange that, to help better you and help you have that opportunity,” Commissioner Nolting said.

With that said, Janicek explained the way the county assessor’s office works and how she feels comfortable with those in her office.

“Our office is a very close office, we all work together and if one has a question we try to help each other and work together to solve whatever problem might come up,” Janicek said.

The board decided that they felt confident in Fran Janicek as the new county assessor and unanimously approved the motion to appoint her to fill out the term of Deborah Huff.

“She will remain the Deputy Assessor until December 31st and then she will be the assessor effective January 1st where she will perform the duties of an elected official for 2014,” Sibal said.

Aside from the paper work, such as an accountability and disclosure form she must fill out, Janicek must also be sworn in as county assessor. The swearing in will take place on January 2, 2014 at 9 a.m.

The board asked Janicek one last question: what she thinks her biggest challenge going from deputy assessor to county assessor will be.

“Total responsibility. I don’t think it will be a challenge, but I take it very seriously. It’s definitely a new venture, and I feel confident,” Janicek said.