Cibola assessor's office accussed of corruption
La Mesa Mall's shrinking appraisal sparks investigation by state police

By Jim Tiffin
Staff Writer

GRANTS — Allegations of an illegal appraisal of La Mesa Mall in North Grants, and bribery of Cibola County Assessor's office employees, including Assessor Theresa Garcia have surfaced.

The allegations of an illegal appraisal stem from the assessed valuation of the mall being reduced in February 2005 from $2.3 million as assessed in 2001, to $919,629 this year.

The nearly $1.4 million drop in value is based on an appraisal made by Garcia, Appraiser Sandy Ortiz and Chief deputy Assessor Pauline Chavez in mid-February using standard appraisal techniques, Garcia said.

The owner, Joseph Ramani, a California businessman, approached the assessor's office asking for a re-appraisal for tax purposes because the building has been deteriorating for years and was nearly empty of tenants, Chavez said.

There were only Smith's grocery store, a couple of finance offices and a hair salon with nine other stores in the mall sitting empty, including the large portion that previously housed TG&Y, Garcia said.

The return of the ALCO discount store to the previous TG&Y section of the mall had not been finalized or announced at that time.

Capt. Jerry Cottrell, commander of New Mexico State Police District 6 in Gallup said: "All I can tell you is my department is making a determination to see if a crime was even committed. We are investigating a Cibola County government office."

Neither Cottrell nor Lt. Jimmy Glascock, state police spokesman in Santa Fe, would confirm if the office in question was the assessor's office.

"I am not going to say anything which could affect the investigation. It is ongoing," Cottrell said.

Garcia, Chavez, Ortiz and Ramani, said as of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, none had been contacted by any law enforcement investigators from any agency.

As far as allegations of bribery are concerned, all denied any money changed hands or other considerations were offered.

"We are here to help the county, not harm it," Chavez said.

County Manager David Ulibarri said he is waiting for proof of anything illegal being done.

"I know the assessor and the chief deputy and I am sure that they have gone by the book in this incident," he said.

Deteriorating building, lot
"We looked at the condition of the building; the leaks in the roof; the hanging wires; the asbestos; the deteriorating parking lot with potholes in the asphalt; the empty Wells Fargo building previously a garage and determined the value was not as high as previously assessed," Garcia said.

The strip mall on the south side of Roosevelt Avenue and the residential neighborhood surrounding the mall was also evaluated, she said.

Ortiz went to a similar shopping center in Albuquerque that was in a better neighborhood than the mall in Grants, and the valuation of that mall was less than the 2001 appraisal of the mall in Grants, she said.

Comparing similar properties and neighborhoods is a common practice for appraisers to help determine the value of commercial buildings and land, she said.

The valuations have varied in the past few years: $1.7 million in 1997; $2.8 million in 1999; $3.7 million in 1999-2000; $2.3 million in 2001; and now $919,629 in 2005.

Commercial property values can fluctuate upward or downward according to the amount of income and sales value on the market, Ortiz said.

The fact that there was only four tenants in February and nine empty stores played a part in the valuation he said.

"We looked at that as 50 percent of the market value," he said. The deteriorating building and values of neighboring malls and areas also played a part in the downward valuation, he said.

On Feb. 16, 2005, a notation was made to an assessor's field sheet noting the land value change from $1.06 million in 2001 to $244,420 in 2005.

Appraisal value changed
"The mall sits on a small portion of the land. We had been assessing Mr. Ramani at $1.50 per square foot for the entire property, but should have only been assessing him for the actual portion of the lot the building occupies," Garcia said.

"So, we changed the appraisal for the asphalt in the parking lot from $1.50 per square foot to 50 cents per square foot, as it is supposed to be and we noted that on the field sheet on Feb. 16," she said.

(Reporter Tom Purdom contributed to this story.)

— To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call 287-2197 or e-mail: jtiffin@blackmesa-isp.net.