BY BILL O'BRIEN
MANISTEE -- County officials appointed an interim equalization director and placed their current department head on unpaid suspension as they review her certification status.
Manistee County Board Chairman Allan O'Shea said the board last week named Heather Vasquez the county's interim equalization director. She'll head up the county department in charge of local property assessments.
Vasquez is an appraiser and the department's assistant director. Vasquez is certified as a Level II assessor, but O'Shea said the county has until July 1 to come up with a Level III assessor to fill the position. The board will seek job applicants, he said.
The county board also changed equalization director Kendra Rohdy's suspension to unpaid leave, pending more information. The board suspended Rohdy with pay on Jan. 22 but made it an unpaid suspension on March 5, O'Shea said. She is a 19-year county employee and was named to the equalization post last summer.
The State Tax Commission last month revoked Rohdy's state certification for allegedly providing a falsified certification to the state indicating she is a Level III property assessor. Michigan State Police in Manistee also investigated and forwarded its case to the state Attorney General's office.
State Department of Treasury records indicate Rohdy is a Level II property assessor, but O'Shea said Rohdy's attorney produced documentation that she had obtained a Level III certification.
"We don't know at this point ... there were too many moving parts to this," O'Shea said. "We'll call a special meeting as soon as we get more information."
Rohdy's attorney, George Sayler, of Manistee, did not respond to a request for comment.
O'Shea said the board directed county Prosecutor Ford Stone to contact the state Attorney General's office on the status of its investigation before county officials make a long-term decision on the office.
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