Either incredibly boring, or incredibly illuminating. Or neither!

Perhaps you're wondering just why the CilleyGirl vanishes from the face of the earth twice a year, most notably during the month of December.  Perhaps you're not!  Oh well, you can please all of the people some of the time or some of the people all of the time or tickle ferrets with your toes. 

So anyhow, I thought I'd try to convey an idea of what it's like around here.

First, the big deadline at this time of the year is designated by statute as December 31.  Given how the weekend and the New Year's holiday falls this year, that is extended to January 3, 2012. 

In mid October, I start thinking about year end. 

At the beginning of November, I start pointing out that I am thinking about year end. 

By Thanksgiving, we really need to get our asses in gear.

Hopefully by December 1 we are ready to start preparing for the year end deadline. 

All around and through this, my boss is talking about how he wants to do things differently this year, implement some grand new scheme, blah blah blah.  To sum up:  He wants to fix what's not broke and take as long as possible to perhaps notice that. 

This year we started prepping around December 15.  In other words:  Really fucking late.  Plus the other full time employee in my office was fired.  Yippee!!  (those are sarcastic explanation points).

Moving along.  I have a spreadsheet with every active file in the state listed.  For 2011, there are currently 942.  For each of those files, here's pretty much what needs to be done.

• Pull current year assessment data.  We may already have this on file, or it needs to be looked up online or we have to call to get it.
• Compare the current year to the prior year.
• Summarize the most recent year's appeal with the outcome.
• Summarize the number of units or square footage and the vacancy.  Track down the information in filing if we have it, otherwise request from client. 
• Calculate income and expenses.  Ditto on tracking down the paperwork.
• Cap the income to determine a value.
• Compare against any appraisals or sales.  Ditto on tracking down the paperwork.
• Give it the sniff test.
• Make the call whether to appeal, to not appeal, or to pass it up to my boss for his call either way.
• If appealing, draft the petition.  Some times this means a trip to the copier.
• Note the outcome on the master spreadsheet and route the filing back wherever it now needs to be.

942 times, I do this.  The shortest time to do this is probably 10 minutes.  On something new and/or complicated, it can take an hour or longer.   Most fall into the 20 to 30 minute category.  Thankfully each file does not take an hour because that would mean it would take more than 23 weeks to do this. 

And I really can't stay awake for that long.

Oh, and I forgot to mention:  After the review and preparing of any petitions, they have to be re-reviewed for completeness (i.e., are they signed) and then they are copied, logged, and sent out the door. 

I really need a day off!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl