Asbestos hides under some floor tiles, and employees work at archaic desks - made before computers were created - in offices where half the aging lights have to be turned off because the glare gave employees headaches.

Welcome to the San Bernardino County Assessor's Office.

The new assessor, Bill Postmus, has proposed spending $3.5 million to renovate the office, at 172 W. Third St. in San Bernardino, which was built 48 years ago. The office has not seen a renovation for at least 25 years, while most other departments have received overhauls over the past decade, some more than once.

"Beg, borrow and steal. That's the way I have to work," department Information Services Administrator Mark Mosher said of his methods for keeping the office running over the years. "We're just trying to make a good work environment while being more friendly and accessible to customers."

The office's proposed budget for fiscal year 2007-08 is $17.8 million, a $278,000 increase from the previous fiscal year. That amounts to 1.6 percent more money.

Budgetary increases are anticipated for several reasons, including expenses for added costs in retirement benefits, insurance and 401(k) matches.

As part of the proposal, computer systems would be replaced every three years because of technological advances.

Still, the $3.5 million for refurbishing the building - which would be in addition to the money budgeted for the office - could draw attention.

Before leaving his post as supervisor late last year, Postmus had proposed redirecting most of the money intended to build a new fire station in Hesperia to the office he was about to join.

That plan was ditched after it became public and caused an uproar in Hesperia, and replaced with a $1.6 million proposal for the work. The new plan was more than doubled because of "an expanded scope of work and additional costs associated with asbestos abatement," according to the budget proposal.

Although the building is dilapidated, it may not be the assessor's home for the long haul. County administrators are exploring a massive expansion plan that would include new buildings, including one that would be home for the county's "fiscal group," the offices of the assessor, the treasurer-tax collector/public administrator and the auditor/controller-recorder.

Postmus spokesman Adam Aleman said Postmus is "totally on board" with plans for a new building.

"We just want to bring the current work conditions up to code," Aleman said. "There's no conceptual drawings (for a new building) that I am aware of yet. There are no plans for the time being."

In the end, there's no question the assessor's office is in poor shape.

Keeping documents in stacked boxes is a fire danger. And if they burned, it would cost millions to re-create them, a process that in many cases would entail visiting each home and business to redraw property lines.

Workspaces do not meet federal requirements for disabled employees, and neither do the front desks where employees greet customers.

Most bathrooms are not compliant, either. And the bathrooms are in poor shape, with holes in the ceiling and walls.

Asbestos has been found in some tiles and needs to be removed.

The carpets are either stained, or in other cases, a danger because the rippled areas could cause someone to trip and fall. In one area, duct tape holds down the carpet, and even the tape is beginning to shred.

Contact writer George Watson at (909) 386-3884 or via e-mail at george.watson@sbsun.com.