Spokane County to pay $26K in public records case

Published 12:56 pm Tuesday, October 14, 2014

SPOKANE — A Spokane woman won $26,000 in a public records lawsuit against Spokane County in a property tax dispute.

Patricia Strand sued the county last year, saying it failed to produce a record she sought in a public records request.

A judge ruled last month the court could not condone what the judge called the “somewhat chaotic and disorganized structure” of the assessor’s office.

The Spokesman-Review reported the record in question was an old website article on how to improve the chances of winning a tax appeal. The article was not handed over for three years, although the office provided other documents.