Realtor Polly Odle of Belle Fourche will become Butte County's chief property tax assessor by Feb. 1.

The Butte County Commission and Belle Fourche Mayor Dave Schneider approved the hiring on a 4-2 vote at a special meeting Thursday. State law allows the mayor of a community with more than half of a county's population to vote on hiring a property assessor.

Odle accepted the position and will meet today with Commission Chairman Ken Hansen to review the duties.

Filling the county's director of equalization post has been a challenge. After the previous office holder left for a job in Pennington County, the first hiring was rescinded over public complaints about the replacement process. The second person hired decided against taking the job, citing ongoing controversy over the office and county taxing methods.

Hansen, Schneider, and county Commissioners Steve Smeenk and Stan Harms approved hiring Odle, who works at Tri-State Realty. Commissioners Kim Kling and Marvin Kindsfater opposed.

A Sturgis native, Odle graduated from Newell High School, ran a Nisland-area dairy with her husband, Greg Odle, and they worked for several years in management in Las Vegas before returning to the Belle Fourche area. They have five children, ages 12 to 21, attending middle school and college.