BENTONVILLE -- A reappraisal of property in Benton County seems to be going smoothly, county officials said.
"It's been pretty quiet," Rod Grieve, chief deputy assessor, said of the process.
Property assessment
Benton County is on a five-year cycle for doing countywide property reappraisals. During the interim years, the county does “maintenance” work with appraisals largely limited to new construction or instances of substantial improvements to existing properties.
Source: Benton County
The county Board of Equalization is hearing appeals from property owners who question the value placed on their property by county assessors. Washington County did a countywide reappraisal last year.
As of Friday, 314 appointments had been made for property owners to discuss appeals with the board, according to records in the County Clerk's Office. In 2011, the last year the county did a countywide reappraisal, there were 898 appointments made with the board. The last day to make an appointment is Monday. Property owners not satisfied with the board's decision have until Oct. 10 to appeal to Benton County Court, where the appeal will be heard by the county judge.
"Value-wise, some areas went up," Grieve said. "Some went down and some stayed the same. It all depends on the neighborhood."
Property values are increasing overall, according to preliminary information from the Collector's Office and Brenda Guenther, county comptroller, that projects property tax millage revenue for the county's general fund.
Projections show Benton County's general fund will receive about $20.1 million in current taxes collected in 2015 and an estimated $20.6 million in 2016. For 2017, which is when the taxes from the new values set this year will be collected, estimates show the county's general fund revenue at about $21.7 million in tax collected.
The county does a mass appraisal, relying on market values established by sales of comparable nearby properties, Grieve said. There were about 141,600 parcels listed on the tax rolls in the county in 2011. That has increased to about 145,800 in 2016, he said.
"We don't have the time and labor for individual appraisals of every parcel," Grieve said. "A mass appraisal is based on finding an average and applying that to a neighborhood. Some unique properties won't fit into that average."
Property owners typically call the Assessor's Office when they think their results are incorrect. They are directed to an assessor who can discuss their property with them. They can go to the Board of Equalization If they still question the results. Sandy Dixon did that Friday.
Dixon brought questions about two parcels of commercial property to the board. Her first appeal dealt with property 204 and 206 S.W. C St. with a house on one and a small garage on the second. The house and garage were not habitable and were going to be torn down, she said. Dixon asked the parcels be valued at the same rate. The board agreed the land was valued at the same rate, about $18 a square foot, but the parcel with the house had to be assessed based on the improved value established by having the house on the lot. Dixon was told property is appraised based on the conditions as of Jan. 1 each year so her plans to demolish the house won't affect the valuation until the year after it is done.
Dixon's second question was about the valuation of property at 501 SW B St. She had sold off a part of the lot and questioned why the remaining smaller lot was appraised at a higher value than the lot she had sold. Again, the board said valuation was determined by the conditions on the two lots, with the larger one being vacant and the smaller one having an office building on it, which Dixon said she had made about $50,000 in improvements to.
The board voted not to change the results for Dixon, who asked about an appeal to county court. Dixon said she had appraisals from two banks that were lower than the county's appraisal. She was encouraged to seek other appraisals and if she thought they raised questions about the county's decisions she could appeal to county court.
"I'm good with that," Dixon said. "I hope it is worth that much."
Richard Wells, chairman of the Equalization Board, said the board's appeals generally have been accepted by property owners.
"Most folks come in understanding the process," Wells said. "We have to explain it to some people. I would say there's a small percentage you can see they're visibly disappointed, but for the most part folks accept the process."
The board looks at information on sales from comparable properties, Wells said. Changes in the condition of a piece of property may be important and pictures showing any changes can be useful, he said.
"For the most part people are looking for what they believe is fair," Wells said. "Our job is to give them a fair hearing, listen to what they have to say and make our decision based on the evidence."
NW News on 08/14/2016