Board hearing assessment appeals until Sept. 30
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/68545/
Fewer people are seeking relief on property assessments this year, but more developers are asking for help because of a downturn in the housing market.
A little more than 80 people have asked for help this year from the Washington County Board of Equalization, which meets through Sept. 30.
And if everybody makes his or her appointment the rest of this session, the total number before the board this year will be “ maybe 250 to 300, ” said Don Horton, project manager for Arkansas CAMA Technology Inc., which works with the county on property valuation.
There were somewhere around 600 who came before the board last year, he said, which was a reappraisal year when new values were mailed to the entire county. This brought out individuals contesting new figures, he said.
This year, Horton said, individuals are complaining about the slowdown in the market in relation to their property assessments.
“ Most of the ones we’ve dealt with are just the new homes that have been purchased fairly recently, ” Horton said.
He said the complaint is that assessments, which were made based on 2007, are too high for the housing market this year.
The cutoff date for the 2007 property appraisal was Jan. 1 this year, and some may have just bought their homes in May, Horton said. Developers Developers this year are asking for extensions on their developer’s discounts, Horton said, due to the market slowdown. A developer’s discount is given for two years initially, and then can be extended each year after the discount expires. Developers receive a 50 percent discount on assessments (based on market-value appraisals ) for two years to give them time to sell lots. Horton estimated the number of developers this year who are asking for relief to be about 10, including appointments that have been made for the rest of the session. Asked if there was a particular area in the county where developers are seeking relief, Horton said, “ It’s pretty evenly spread. ”
Parcels There have been about 650 parcels from developers and individuals entered from the hearings, said Kathy Griffith, who works in the Washington County Clerk’s Office and helps keep records on the hearings. She also assists with the board’s meetings. “ One developer might bring 50 parcels, so it’s going to be a lot, ” she said. “ There were some last year; they didn’t bring every single one. ” The breakdown on which parcels were changed and which were not should be available at the end of the session this fall, Griffith said.