Former Taney County Assistant Assessor accuses assessor Susan Chapman of unethical actions

FORSYTH, Mo. (KY3) – A former Taney County deputy assessor turned whistleblower accuses assessor Susan Chapman of several cases of unethical action.

Andy Adams says Chapman has asked employees to change the property valuation beyond normal procedures. This made it possible to process the 2021 tax invoices, knowing that the calculations were too high.

“If you have an overnight rental in Taney County, you could very well be affected,” said Andy Adams.

In Taney County, commercial properties are subject to a rate of 2.35 and 2.58 for residential properties.

“There are several overnight rentals in this county over 1,600 that had the residential rate of 2.58 instead of 2.38,” Adams said.

This means that taxpayers will spend about $ 300 more for a $ 100,000 condo. Adams and another insurance adjuster told Chapman about the inconsistent rates.

That’s what he says Champman told them.

“Maybe it would be better if we kept quiet about it and then if we get caught we’ll just say we didn’t know they were there,” Adams said.

Adams also told Chapman he wouldn’t and called the software engineer to see if any changes could be made.

“This problem will end next year because we fixed it,” Adams said.

Josh Smith lives in Taney County and is shocked by the charges.

“We basically have an elected official on the run who doesn’t believe she has to answer to taxpayers and that she does not have to answer to the equalization board,” said Josh Smith.

Smith says she feels like every week there’s something new that she’s done.

“At this point, unless the courts take action, there is no accountability,” Smith said.

Adams says the Board of Equalization has written off more than $ 80 million worth of appraisal Chapman added to the properties.

“If they hadn’t, your bill would be really astronomical,” Adams said.

Adams says Chapman even admitted to the equalization board that he used his personal property listings on a county computer to run his real estate agent business. Two reviewers verified that they were given the MLS sheet.

“They were told to try and get the appraisal up to the sale price of those MLS letters,” Adams said.

Adams says he believes a special prosecutor and the attorney general should be appointed to investigate the case. He encourages people in the county to keep talking about these actions.

We asked Chapman to respond to complaints, but she did not respond.

A commissioner says they have no control over the actions of another elected official.

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