- The Utah State Tax Commission recommended removing San Juan County Assessor Rick Meyer.
- In a letter, the commission claimed Meyer "failed to follow the law and is unfit to perform his duties."
- This action is the first under a new 2025 law empowering the commission to act.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah State Tax Commission is recommending a local elected official be removed from office.
In a letter, obtained by KSL on Thursday through a public records request, the tax commission said San Juan County Assessor Rick Meyer has failed to follow the law and is "unfit to perform his duties."
The letter to the three San Juan County commissioners recommends "the immediate removal of the San Juan County Assessor from office to protect the public interest and restore the integrity of the property tax system in San Juan County."
This comes after a new state law passed last year giving the Utah State Tax Commission power to take corrective action against county assessors who aren't doing their jobs properly. Assessors play a major role in the property tax process by determining the value of property throughout their counties.
Multiple allegations
In the letter, the tax commission laid out a number of allegations against Meyer, including that he "admitted to a policy of not taxing agricultural buildings because he personally believes they should be exempt," even though the law states otherwise.
Meyer also misclassified property, according to the tax commission, and gave residential property tax exemptions to certain parcels — including to vacant land — when he shouldn't have.
"A field audit of over 70 properties revealed that every single property visited contained significant data and assessment errors," wrote Joshua Nielsen, director of property tax for the Utah State Tax Commission.
The tax commission also alleges Meyer's office was "frequently closed for unannounced time off," and that he has been unwilling to attend trainings or improve.
Meyer, who was first elected in 2020 and won reelection in 2024, did not respond to a request for comment from KSL.
New law
The recommendation to remove Meyer from office is a first for the Utah State Tax Commission under SB202, which was passed in 2025 to give the commission more power to police county assessors.
"This is the first time we have taken this corrective action since the authority was granted by statute," said Utah State Tax Commission spokesperson Jason Gardner.
But as to whether the San Juan County Commission can actually remove Meyer from office, Gardner that's a "legal question that I cannot answer."
Lori Maughan, chair of the San Juan County Commission, declined to comment on Meyer's status or any next steps.
