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These reports uncovered how subtle changes in contracts and secret business relationships with government officials led to the elimination of competition for a major vendor in the county's new tax assessment program. We found that one former tax commissioner, who was integral in creating the program, later became an owner of an assessment firm that benefited from the contracts. A second insider firm, who had hired the father-in-law of the chief county assessor, won 90 percent of the contracts for the towns in the county required to revamp their assessments. That same company also had on its payroll the very same assessor who would be supervising their work in the various towns.