Betts departs, Icet appointed new Greene County collector

Outgoing Betts believes it takes two years to learn the detailed job, cites ‘huge learning curve’
 
Allen Icet has been appointed as the new Greene County collector, following the resignation of former collector Leah Betts. Icet takes over the position from Leah Betts, who left the office on Friday, Feb. 26.
Icet is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering; he also holds a master’s in business administration from Washington University. According to a press release posted on the county’s website, his private sector experience includes “engineering and strategic projects in the petro-chemical industry.”
Also, Icet holds significant experience in public service.
“In addition to his education and background in business, Icet brings extensive experience as a public servant, including time in the Missouri House of Representatives where he served District 84, which covers part of western St. Louis County,” the release stated. “During that time, he worked on numerous House committees such as the Economic Development Committee, Appropriations-Education Committee, Ways and Means Committee and the General Laws Committee. From 2006-2010 he also served as chairman of the Budget Committee.”
Icet said he accepted the position of collector because it was an opportunity for him to serve the county.

 “I enjoy public service,” he said, “and found this as an opportunity to become more involved in my community.”
Betts’ departure
Betts resigned over “frustrations” caused by a computer glitch which caused personal property tax statements to be sent out late to county residents. Icet said his office will work with other county offices to resolve this problem.
“The main challenge I face is dealing with the problems caused by the change in the software used in the assessor’s office,” he said. “My office is working with the assessor’s office and the county clerk’s office to solve this problem.”
Icet also said fixing the glitch would require an extensive amount of effort.
“Unfortunately, the software problem is one that cannot be resolved quickly but will require more time and effort to fix.”
To help those who have experienced delays in getting their property taxes paid, Icet said he developed a way for county residents to pay their taxes without penalty because their statements were late getting to them. Missouri law prohibits counties from charging interest or penalties on delinquent property tax payments when statement are mailed less than 30 days prior to the delinquent date, and the taxpayer pays the taxes by 15 days after the delinquent date or the certified mailing date, whichever is later.
“During my first week on the job,” he said, “I developed a plan that was approved by the county commission whereby taxpayers will avoid the penalty and interest for not paying their 2020 personal property taxes on a timely basis when that delay is due to a system failure (for which) there is clear and convincing evidence.”
Betts says staff instruction is ‘priceless’
Contacted about her successor, Betts said she did not know Icet very well, but also said that “he does seem like a very nice person.”
She also said the collector’s position is not something anyone can just step into.
“There is a huge learning curve for someone who has never worked in the office,” she said. “It’s my opinion that it will take a good two years to train for this position. However, as long as Allen Icet can maintain the current staff, they will be able to train him on the basic daily operation of the office. That is priceless.”
Icet, for his part, expressed confidence that he can do the job.”
“I plan to maintain the high level of service this office provides and look for opportunities to streamline the taxpaying process,” he said.