EPHRATA — Grant County officials are looking for qualified applicants to fill two open seats on the county’s Board of Equalization.

Candidates must live within District 2, which is Moses Lake and the surrounding area. Candidates must be able to attend hearings during the day and attend state-mandated training within one year of joining the board. Board members cannot be elected officials or work for elected officials. 

Applicants are encouraged to have a general knowledge of Grant County and of appraisal methods, or have experience in banking, farming or real estate sales and marketing, according to a press release from the Grant County Commissioners. 

The Board of Equalization is in charge of hearing appeals from property owners on the assessed valuation of their property, according to the Grant County website. It is independent of both the Grant County Treasurer and Grant County Assessor. 

“The BOE is responsible for ensuring that all properties are valued at 100% of market value and that comparable properties are assessed at comparable values,” the website said. “The BOE may lower, raise or sustain the land or building assessments.”

Board of Equalization members, however, can’t consider factors like personal hardships, tax amounts or other issues unrelated to the market value of the property, the website said.