East Central Reporter

The Shelby County Supervisor of Assessments, Debbie Dunnaway, is at the center of a controversy regarding property assessment practices. Concerns have been raised about the use of Certificates of Error that were allegedly pre-signed by Board of Review members or signed on their behalf by employees in the Supervisor's office. This practice has been criticized for bypassing the independent review role intended for the Board.

A communication to an insurance bonding agency highlighted two main issues: "1. That the Shelby County Supervisor of Assessments has maintained a system of using Certificates of Error that are either pre-signed by Board of Review Members without the assessment changes included or that employees of the Supervisor of Assessments have signed the names of the Board of Review members as if they were signing the documents With this system, the Board of Review is not acting as an independent review... 2. The Documents that constitute the COE’s either pre-signed or signed by others on behalf a Board... meet the definition of forgery under Illinois Criminal Statutes..."

Despite being informed by a former State’s Attorney about these practices, there has been no public response from the County Board. The former State’s Attorney noted, “During my term... I came to learn... that a scheme and artifice to avoid the Board existed... After I began looking into this practice, I believe it ended... Thus, I declined to commence criminal prosecution...” He also indicated potential ignorance rather than criminal intent behind these actions.

Further scrutiny has fallen on why notifications for hearings were not sent out despite receiving complaints from property owners in 2022. According to state law (35 ILCS 200/16-55), proper notification is required when complaints are filed with compliance to board rules. Dunaway confirmed that no notices were sent during this period.

Questions arise about why board members collected compensation without fulfilling their duties. A rule stating “Any board member may conduct a hearing” conflicts with legal requirements for majority decisions (35 ILCS 200/6-50). Amendments and notices also appear mishandled according to adopted procedures.

In light of these revelations, questions linger over assessment discrepancies such as Lithia Springs Marina's low assessed value and taxes paid in 2022-2023.

The situation remains unresolved as further information is awaited regarding related cases and assessments.