The Summit County Council spent close to 90 minutes of a busy meeting on Wednesday trying to decide how to deal fairly with a former county employee who didn’t pay his property tax.

David Allen, who worked as Summit County Community Development Director from 2003 until 2005, had a disagreement with former County Treasurer Glen Thompson in 2006 and refused to pay his property tax.

Allen’s Aspen Meadows Ranch in North Summit, which he valued at “tens of millions” of dollars, was close to a tax sale. The original amount he differed with Thompson over was about $500.

Allen went before the County Council to stop the tax sale and seek a resolution.

Allen said the county sent his property tax bill to the wrong address in 2006. When he discovered the mistake a year later, he offered to pay the full amount plus interest, but not the penalty since it was the county’s mistake, not his.

The penalty is about $10 per parcel, and he owns over 50 parcels. According to Allen, Thompson demanded the penalty, so he refused to pay the bill.

As the penalties have increased over the years now to $5,500 Allen said he tried to meet with Auditor Blake Frazier and new Treasurer Corrie Kirklen, but they instructed him to first “pay in protest” a measure that allows a citizen to contest a tax bill after it is paid. Allen refused.

Standing before the County Council with his attorney Joe Tesch, Allen asked the council members to put themselves in his shoes and sympathize with his plight. All five said they would have paid in protest and not allowed the issue to escalate this far.

Councilor Claudia McMullin said she had no sympathy. Councilor David Ure said he always double checks that he got the bills for all his land.

“It appears that you’ve dug in your heels standing on principle, and the consequences have ratcheted up for five years,” said Councilor John Hanrahan.

Councilor Chris Robinson tried to propose a motion forgiving Allen of the original $500 penalty, but making him pay the cost of preparing the tax sale.

“Someone has to pay the piper,” he said.

But Allen said he did not want to forfeit his right to continue fighting the county for such a small sum. The council passed Robinson’s motion and Allen promised to pay.

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