RENSSELAERVILLE — Donna Kropp, who has been a town assessor for 12 years, is running for the fourth time.

She has lived in Rensselaerville most of her life and, at 65, is retired from her full-time career, often putting in extra hours in her part-time assessor’s post. She is a Republican running on the GOP line.

A 1973 graduate of the State University of New York at Cobleskill, Kropp has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business with a concentration in computer science. She worked first at the University at Albany and then at Hudson Valley Community College in computer software support analysis before retiring three years ago.

During her first term as assessor, Kropp became certified by the state. “Once you go through the training, you learn what needs to be done,” she said.”There’s a lot to learn,” she said, so it’s efficient to re-elect someone to the post.

What she likes most about her job, Kropp said, is “communicating with taxpayers.” What she’s proudest of is the objective way in which she evaluates properties. “You make sure every one is assessed appropriately,” she said.

Her goal is to “keep that status quo — to make sure everything is handled appropriately,” she said.

Kropp went on, “We go to great lengths to make sure that everyone who is entitled to an exemption gets one.” She notes that Rensselaerville is a small community and, if someone, for example, for a senior exemption, is late getting in paperwork, she calls to remind them.

“We make sure everybody gets what they deserve,” she said. “You couldn’t do that in a big town.”

Asked if there is a need for town-wide property revaluation, Kropp said,  “Over 20 years, the market has gone up and down. It probably should be done.”

She said later, in an email, “I think it is time for a revaluation and our office could perform it, but it would be best to have a outside firm assist because of the time that would be involved.”

She added, “Our office is a team; we work together.”

Much of the work of a revaluation needs to be done anyway, Kropp said. “We need to make sure the data cards, with information on every property, is up to date,” she said.

She stressed, “Overall, I think the assessments are fair.” The assessors “drive all the roads in town every year,” said Kropp. “We do a physical inventory. We don’t have a laptop,” she said, so notes from the observations made driving are then transferred to records back at the office.

Despite the townwide drive-throughs, it’s possible for an addition or improvement to be missed, said Kropp, giving an example. If someone built a deck behind their house where it isn’t visible from the road without getting a building permit — a flag for the assessors to revalue property — the assessors wouldn’t know about it.

Kropp said she works an average of two to six hours a week and more during assessment time.When the clerk with a quarter of a century of experience died four years ago in March, in the middle of assessing season, Kropp stepped in, training a new clerk and doing data entry, she said; when the new clerk moved to another position after two years, Knopp stepped in again.

She is not paid an hourly rate — rather by a flat annual salary of $6,000 — yet she has put in the extra hours without being paid extra, she said.

“No one knew how to do it,” she said. “I had the time.”

Asked about allegations of nepotism made by a Democratic candidate, Kropp said, “There is no nepotism. We handle every case the same way. If I’m related to someone, I dismiss myself.” She said the other two assessors do the same.

“All three of us sign off on exemptions and changes in assessments,” she said. “If there’s a disagreement, we come to a conclusion; we resolve our differences.”

Kropp concluded of her work, “I view this as a service to the community. I feel strongly we all need to give to our community.”

Over the years, Kropp said, she has been involved in the Greenville PTA and in the fire company; she sings with the Village Voices; and she is a member of the vestry for the 200-year-old Trinity Episcopal Church.

“If we all give a little,” Kropp said, “it makes it a better place to live.”