Dear Nevada County Citizens:
Thank you for electing me to the seat of Nevada County Treasurer-Tax Collector in 2010. As I wrap up my third four-year term, I respectfully ask for your continued support in my bid for re-election. During my 11 years as Treasurer & Tax Collector, our office has had many accomplishments, faced challenging economic times, learned and grown. I’m proud of the team I have built and the work my office accomplishes on a daily basis.
On the Treasury side, we have cycled through good and bad economic times, weathering these undulations far better than many other municipalities. This has been accomplished by developing and committing to a sound investment strategy; by demonstrating discipline, as opposed to chasing yield or allowing emotions to guide investment decisions.
This strategy has protected us from undue risk while outperforming many other County portfolios and has enabled interest earnings of over $28M in the lowest interest rate environment in decades. These earnings are made available for community funding of schools, public safety, and essential county services.
As the steward of Nevada County taxpayer dollars, I will continue to invest wisely, safeguard tax dollars, and put earned capital to work, achieving a fair rate of return.
On the Tax side, I shall continue to administer laws fairly and equally to all taxpayers. When laws do not make sense or when they must adapt to changing environments, I will continue to be a strong voice for this community, representing our interests at the State level.
For the past 8 years I have been an officer on the Executive Committee of our statewide association of County Treasurers and Tax Collectors. I was proud to serve as President during the 2020-2021 fiscal year, commonly referred to as the Year of the Pandemic.
During my time in office, I have never seen so much devastation to businesses and communities, at a time when laws governing this office were not flexible enough to assist those in need. Leading a statewide effort to adopt legislation allowing tax collectors to help suffering communities, we lobbied and succeeded in passing SB 219 (an urgency item), making it legal for tax collectors to waive penalties for financial reasons resulting from pandemics.
SB 219 was a significant Senate Bill that granted us the authority required to rapidly respond to the communities we serve, now and in the future. Our office was able to waive penalties for over 800 Nevada County properties and businesses, with thousands more being waived by my counterparts statewide.
I remain accessible to all constituents. I stand firm on my promise that, although I may not always have the answer that you want to hear, I guarantee the answer applies uniformly and in accordance with law. Also, if laws do not make sense or do more harm than good, I will continue to work hard to make the changes needed at the State level.
I pride myself in the communication provided by my office and will continue to educate the public on how to avoid penalties. My office will continue to share the tools needed to assist taxpayers. For example, I will continue to fight for the Senior Property Tax Postponement Program. I shall continue to have an open door, hearing citizen concerns and making improvements where we can.
From an administrative standpoint, my office has brought online an innovative property tax system enabling an option for online payments. This program has also increased public access to more information via our website. Making public accessibility simple has been a top priority.
We have been able to maintain optimal staffing throughout the pandemic, while finding innovative ways to serve while keeping staff and public safe and staying as flexible as possible.
With help from a remarkable staff, I have more to accomplish. I humbly ask for your support in my pursuit to continue serving Nevada County. Although we have come far in the last decade, there is always more work to be done. New laws are needed to allow optimal efficiencies such as postmarks and electronic billing. Also, there are improvements needed in the Eastern area of our county so that we can provide more in-person services.
I have lived in Nevada County for over 40 years. I want to be part of the changes that better our community going forward. Each day is a new day to work on goals, learn, teach and to give back. I look forward to the future of this community and I respectfully ask for your vote in June 2022.
~ Dutifully, Tina M. Vernon
Your Nevada County Treasurer & Tax Collector