FAYETTEVILLE -- Two longtime county employees want to be the next Washington County collector.
Teresa Soares, 47, of Springdale and Angela Wood, 34, of Fayetteville are both Republicans with more than a decade of experience each in the Collectors Office and agree changes are needed to help taxpayers.
Washington County collector
Teresa Kay Soares, Republican
Age: 47.
Residency: Springdale. Lifelong resident of Washington County.
Employment: Head bookkeeper for the Washington County Collector’s Office; employed at the same office 20-plus years.
Education: Attended Northwest Arkansas Community College; graduated from Lincoln High School.
Political Experience: None.
Angela Wood, Republican
Age: 34.
Residency: Fayetteville. Lifelong Washington County resident.
Employment: Data processing clerk at the Washington County Collector’s Office; 12-year Collector’s Office employee.
Education: Fayetteville Beauty College, 2001 graduate. Springdale High School.
Political Experience: None.
Whoever wins the primary election March 1 likely will be the next collector. No Democratic candidate filed for the position.
Collectors are in charge of collecting personal property and real estate taxes that help pay for county services. In Washington County, the position pays $92,146 annually, according to information from the county clerk's office.
Needed changes include giving taxpayers who make payments throughout the year a receipt or a way to track payments to prevent over-payments that cost the county money via manpower, Soares said. Reimbursements can be time consuming, Soares said.
Both candidates said they wanted to use technology to improve customer service.
Wood said she plans to focus on the department's software and website. The website is not user friendly. People should be able to get any tax information they need from the website, Wood said.
Wood also wants to work more with the state land commissioner to make it easier for property owners to search for delinquent property, she said. If landowners fail to pay taxes, the property may end up auctioned by the state. The land commissioner collects delinquent taxes on real estate or auctions the property.
Wood hopes an easier search for delinquent property will help landowners get up to date on taxes and keep their property, she said.
Wood and Soares each said she is passionate about the collector's office. The office is important for the community, they said.
"I enjoy helping the customers," Wood said. "I enjoy making sure we help them in order to make sure they don't lose their property."
Soares said, "This is like my life dream to be elected (collector)."
The collector must be able and willing to talk with the Quorum Court, Soares said.
The Quorum Court has faced scrutiny after months of bickering among elected officials and county employees as justices of the peace tried to cut the county's $62 million budget last fall. Some county employees and elected officials have said they are frustrated with justices of the peace.
Wood and Soares said they believe they will be able to work with the Quorum Court to benefit the collector's office. Open communication and respect are key, they said.
After a January Republican event where Soares and Wood spoke, several people said they thought highly of both candidates. Both are experienced and qualified, said Matt Mendenhall of Springdale, who hadn't yet chosen which one to support.
"Both of them gave a very compelling case," Mendenhall said.
NW News on 02/05/2016