Benton County Sees Fewer Tax Appeals

BENTONVILLE -- County officials said 2014 was a quiet year for property owners who appealed to the Equalization Board.

The board met Aug. 1 through Aug. 27 and had 165 appointments about 380 parcels, according to information from the Benton County Clerk's Office.

"It was a very quiet year," County Clerk Tena O'Brien said Thursday.

The board meets annually to hear appeals from property owners who disagree with the assessment of their property value for tax purposes. The board had 221 appointments over 893 assessments in 2013. The board had 315 appointments that concerned 1,269 parcels of land in 2012, according to the Clerk's Office.

Property owners had the assessed value of land or buildings reduced by about $4.4 million, according to information gathered from the minutes of the board's meetings this year. The Assessor's Office will do a complete abstract of the results and calculate the final assessed value.

Bear Chaney, county assessor, said his office will probably have the abstract done next week. Chaney agreed 2014 was a relatively quiet year. He expects next year will be busier when a countywide reappraisal is done. Property typically is only appraised when there are changes made that would affect its value.

Property owners who remain unsatisfied with the assessment can appeal to Benton County Court presided over by Bob Clinard, county judge. The deadline to appeal is Oct. 13, O'Brien said. If property owners still are dissatisfied after a hearing in county court, they can appeal to Benton County Circuit Court.

Clinard has been notified of four appeals so far. He said that's also a relatively low number, but every case demands attention.

"There's enough difference in all of them to not jump to a quick decision," he said. "Each of them has a little different dynamic."

After hearing appeals from the Equalization Board for the last three years, he's become more familiar with the system and the issues involved, Clinard said.

"I know now things I need to ask about and to look for based on my experience in hearing these appeals," he said.

The changing economy also has changed the nature of some of the appeals he hears, Clinard said.

"We're kind of getting out of the era of the huge developments where people went out and bought huge tracts of land wanting to develop it and not being able to," he said. "Then the banks would repossess the land, and they'd want to appeal the value placed on it."

The price paid for property doesn't necessarily relate directly to the value placed on it for tax purposes, Clinard said.

"It's based on the value of surrounding properties and what they're selling for," he said.

NW News on 09/05/2014

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