BENTONVILLE -- Benton County officials filled a seat on the Equalization Board on Tuesday, looking ahead to what they expect to be a busy year with a county property reappraisal.
The Quorum Court's Committee of the Whole unanimously re-appointed Jana Jobe of Garfield to one of the three seats on the board filled by the court. The county judge names two members of the board, cities name two and school districts also name two member of the nine-person board.
Property Reappraisal
The Benton County Assessor’s Office will re-appraise all real estate in the county this year for market value, as required by law. Property owners will be notified of the 2016 value of their property in July. More information about the process can be obtained by calling the Assessor’s Office at 479 271-1037.
Source: Staff Report
Shirley Sandlin, justice of the peace for District 8 and a former county appraiser, said she expects the board to be busy with hearings when property owners question increases in the appraised value of their properties.
"The value arrived at by the county stands unless the property owner can prove it erroneous," Sandlin said. "All of us know this is going to be a tricky year because values have been increasing."
Jobe, who said she has served two full-terms on the board and part of another, said the state law requiring the quorum court to appoint members with backgrounds in real estate sales or property appraisal serves a valuable purpose. She said representatives from the cities and school districts often bring other backgrounds to the board.
"As an appraiser you learn how to arrive at a fair market value," Jobe said. "If you don't have any real estate knowledge of some kind it's difficult to establish values."
"It's critical that we have on this board licensed appraisers," Tom Allen, justice of the peace for District 4, said.
According to Rod Grieve, chief deputy in the assessor's office, the last county reappraisal was in 2011 and state law requires all market value real estate be assessed at least once every five years. Grieve said the assessor's office sets real estate values as of Jan. 1, 2016, and property owners will be notified of the appraised value by mail beginning in July, with all of the notices sent out no later than July 15. Not all property value changes. The value set this year will be used for ad valorem tax purposes for the next five years as long as there are no additions or improvements to the property. Grieve said once property owners receive those notices, they may contact the assessor's office for an informal hearing if they have questions about the changes in the value of their property. Those meetings will begin July 18, he said.
"If that informal hearing doesn't satisfy the property owner, they can then file an appeal with the Equalization Board," Grieve said. "Formal appeals will begin Aug. 1."
Grieve said property owners can file appeals with the Equalization Board through the third Monday in August, according to state law, with that deadline falling Aug. 15 this year. the board begins its work on Aug. 1 and could continue into November depending on the number of appeals. The deadline to file an appeal with the board is Aug. 17, Grieve said.
NW News on 05/11/2016