New assessments on residential properties in mail soon

Greene County residential property owners will soon receive new property assessment notices in the mail. Assessor Linda Spearman advised the notices are scheduled to be mailed on Feb. 24.

The 2017 notices are intended to inform property owners of the estimated market value of their property. Spearman pointed out the values should not be confused with taxable value or the tax bill.

Vanguard Appraisals, Inc of Cedar Rapids was awarded the contract to reappraise all residential property located in the towns of Paton, Grand Junction, Rippey, Jefferson, Scranton and Churdan in Greene County on May 13, 2014.

Property owners will have an opportunity to meet with a Vanguard representative to discuss their values starting March 13. These meetings are an opportunity for the property owner to submit any information which may affect the estimate of market value of their property.

An appointment is required to meet with the Vanguard representative. Appointments should be made prior to March 7 by calling Spearman’s office at 515-386-5660.

The last complete appraisal of these properties was completed for the January 1, 1992, assessment date. The current reappraisal was conducted to equalize assessed values since not all properties have decreased or increased at the same rate since 2015.

The company representative will not adjust the assessed values if the property owner objects to the new values based solely on the fact that there was an increase in assessed value. Property owners who disagree with the new values should be prepared to state their estimate of market value and present evidence to support that claim.

New notices will be mailed if values change prior to April 1.

Property owners will also have an opportunity to protest the new assessed values to the Board of Review. A written protest must be submitted between April 2 – 30 for the board of review to consider any adjustment.  ~The Scranton Journal

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