I don’t know if you all read the end of the state’s Department of Local Government Finance story on punishing assessors in both counties but it reads like this:

Mary Jane Michalak, a spokeswoman for the DLGF, said the agency knows that assessors are working hard but wanted to “send a message” to counties that they have to fulfill their obligations.

Here’s the link: State threatens counties for missing tax deadline

What is that message? What happened to letters or an e-mail. Maybe for this message, a horse’s head would have worked better.

(Note to readers: commentary stopped, reporting begin)

The interpretation I heard last night in Martin County was DLGF changed the rules in October and then assessor Carolyn Sue McGuire had to hire an appraiser to help with the new data. According to County Attorney Dave Lett, McGuire said the process was delayed seven to 10 days.

The new report, called a ratio report, will be turned in next week. At Tuesday’s Martin County Commissioners meeting, Lett said McGuire was bothered by having sanctions presented against her.

I am not sure what Daviess County Assessor Dennis Eaton is going through but I would guess the report to be the target.

(Reporting over, commentary to begin again)

Who’s running that office? Tony Montana? No, Cheryl Musgrave, which you could say judging by her time in Evansville to be close to Tony Montana.

It’s sad in this year, arguably the most important year since property taxes were invented in this state, that the agency running the money added a last-minute rule then blamed the counties for following the rule, but not done on time. These guys should run the BCS.

Also, if I were a county assessor, I wouldn’t care what extra rules DLGF gives anyway. Just turn in the tax info and there you go. It’s not like assessors are going to have a job next year anyway.

DLGF looked like morons this week. Although I really don’t like shooting the messenger, Michalak gets special moron recognition for her “sending a message” comment.

Readers, I will be putting up my son’s first video soon.

—Nate Smith