By Murphy Woodhouse | Arizona Daily Star
Pima County’s assessor has hired his own attorneys with out-of-pocket cash — and successfully billed county taxpayers for reimbursement — to handle two recent legal cases in which he disagreed with property values set by a state board.
Bill Staples says the tactic is needed to ensure he meets his mandate to ensure every property owner in the county pays their fair share of taxes. He is also likely to do it again soon, he told the Star.
County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, however, says the tactic is unnecessary and that the county attorney’s office is more than capable of representing Staples in tax court.
