Unreasonable property tax changes

It seems a whole bunch of people filed complaints about their tax bills going up this year. I filed an appeal, and shared information on how to file on this site back before the March 31st deadline.

This year, county property owners filed 4,300 complaints, up 39 percent from 2014, contesting the assessed valuations of their homes, businesses and other parcels.

However, a large increase in cases was anticipated because the auditor last year completed a comprehensive, six-year valuation update. Values typically change more drastically during major revaluations. Local property owners have challenged their valuations on many grounds, sometimes claiming that the amounts are based on faulty information or a flawed assessment method.

Overwhelmingly, people who file appeals request a lower valuation, and 65 percent of cases filed in the county result in a change of assessment, according to the auditor.

Source: Over 4,000 in county appeal property values

The random changing values of real estate every 6 years is a farce and needs to be addressed. Just because your new neighbor paid more for his home, doesn’t mean yours is worth more now.

This kind of tax levy contributes to gentrification as well- forcing people from their homes as they age. Sure, the county offers a rollback if you are over 65, but, let’s be realistic, why is there a penalty for being part of a neighborhood that rises in value? Isn’t this the opposite of the “American Way” where you are supposed to prosper, not suffer, for making a good investment?

When I bought my house for $14,500 in January, 1986, it came with a lot of risk- so much in fact, that no bank would give me a loan on the property. It had been on the market for 2 years, starting out at $22,900 and was listed at $17,900 when I offered $14,500 and they took it.

Because I worked hard to fix up my house, and participated in my neighborhood, other homes have sold for a lot more. Those people aren’t buying into such a risky neighborhood anymore- and banks will finance them. They have received the fruits of my labor- and benefited from the risks I took. The question is- why should I be penalized?

This practice of raising taxes on properties that haven’t changed hands is despicable, and good reason to reexamine the entire valuation system. The fact that so many people are appealing is case in point that the system isn’t working. I’ve yet to be called for my re-evals.

I’m also at a loss why I should be paying tax dollars for the city to invest in speculative real estate, like the buildings by Garden Station, and on E. Third Street. That’s not what I pay my taxes for- to take properties off the tax rolls.

Why our tax dollars are subsidizing a private company, Tyler Technologies, to do government work is also questionable. How and why did a private company end up with this multimillion dollar contract to play games with our tax rates? It’s time for some real answers.

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