Property Taxes

[ToadHill]

Well in New York we have the most generous Medicade program in the country. When I get my county property tax bill it is broken down to show what it goes to and almost 100% of it goes to pay the county assessment for medicade. The county lives on sales tax revenue.

 

[VTFireftr]

I feel your pain.

Last year my little town in Vermont was required by the stste to do a twon wide reappraisal (sp). My property values went up 130% in just 10 years! My two adjoining neigbors values went up even more. And we all live on a private road that we maintian ourselves, with no help from the town.

The average increase for the rest of the town was 105%. We all appealed our increase stating that we felt we were asessed (sp) a "seclusion tax" since we all lived on a secluded private road off the beated path - of a small rural community! I eventually had my reappraisal lowered to 115%. Both my neighbors are still fighting and will wind up in court this summer.

The best part is, none of us have kids in the school, nor do any of us use any of the town's limited services. The police department doesn't know where I live. And our fire department - I'm a 20+ year member - is a volunteer department.

The biggest cost to our taxes is the frekin' schools. All of which are sub-standard, but the teachers have a great collective bargaining agreement. I'm a union member, so I won't bash any unions, but the school committe has to say enough is enough.

OK, I'll stop.

Both my wife and I love where we live and will just keep bitching, since we can't do anything else, and don't care to move.

Marc

 

[Mousefield]

The property assessments went way up in our area as well. Some even more than doubled and this in a slow real estate market. This was on the land value, not buildings. Some bureaucrat sat in their office and decided, somehow, that mysteriously, all the land had gone up in value. Two neighbor's did go to appeal, one got theirs reduced by about $140,000. the other about $80,000. Of course the taxes will not go down as they will just adjust the mill rate. Values in some cases are totally unrealistic to what the land would sell for.

 

[ultrarunner]

Had the same problem in WA State... 80% increase. I was never able to get it lowered and my long time neighbors said they got tired of appealing every year...

The only place I know Property Tax to be somewhat predictable is California... in general, taxes may only increase 2% per year without 2/3 voter approval... although they already carved out a 55% approval for school construction money.

I can only imagine where this is all headed...

 

[mbohuntr]

Yep, Built a brand new home on 50 acres after getting quotes from the town for taxes. Sold it 5 yrs later after both the assessment and the rate skyrocketed. I grieved it the first time or two and won, the next year they increased by an even larger amount??? I was lucky enough to sell it at the top of the R/E boom. New owner was from out of state, and it shocked him when it increased AGAIN. For a while, the town meetings were pretty scary... Gonna get even uglier as people who have lost jobs, and are making less now can't afford to live in their homes... Moved to a different town and MUCH happier... Thank-you NAFTA.. Advice... Get as much proof as you can that your increase is more than your neighbors...

 

[dooleysm]

I looked at a few of the neighbor's tax bills online. I pay less than everyone around me. I don't have a leg to stand on as far as the assessed value. My complaint is with the percentage increase.

If they were wrong previously about the value of my land, why would I have any confidence they are right this time?

I've downloaded, printed, and filled out the appeal form. I plan to take it in to the assessor's office on my day off on Friday. They have to know that people are watching what they are doing and willing to fight. If everybody accepts the unrealistic increases, then they will continue. This is our government, they work for us. We just have to remind them sometimes.

 

[charlz]

My elected county officials, some of whom I hope will be out of office this year, want to create "corridors" against development along two major roads in the county. The "corridors" are 3,000 feet across. 1,500 on each side of the road. The land owners will be very restricted in what they can do with their land. Basically they will have to keep it looking rural so that people in the subdivisions have something pretty to look at during their drive to work.

They were looking at doing something like that for a proposed highway here. Make a wide 'no build' corridor for a few years and wait for the state to decide where the highway would go. A lawyer spoke up at one of the meetings and advised that it would open them up to all kinds of 'takings' lawsuits and that nipped it in the bud.

Our assessed values and property taxes have actually been trending down the last few years which is interesting. Makes you wonder what they were doing with all the money they collected a few years ago that they are not collecting now?

 

[woodsman324]

My town is going through re-assessments now. On my 200 acres they have tentatively raised my taxes from 2400.00 per year to 8400.00 per year on plain land, no buildings. I am in the process of fighting them. The slick deal they did was to give everyone access to what others were assessed for, but those were mostly ficticious figures that they had put on them. In other words if someone had a couple hundred acres and looked up and found what I was paying they would think "oh well this guy is paying it so I guess we have to also". Be sure what your comparing to when your fighting. My theory is simple. I say if the town wants to assess a value to any property then they better be willing to buy that property for that price within 6 months or lower the assessment if the owner calls their bluff. This would keep them honest and prevent them from taking advantage of their power.

 

[2manyrocks]

They already spent that money they collected.

I used to live in a town where the Mayor raided the sewer improvements fund to pay for a football stadium and then property taxes went up, up, up to pay for everything he spent on borrowed money.

Many towns owe money for various things and when sales tax revenues hit bottom, then they are stretched to meet budget. Even if property values have declined 30-40% as they have in many places, they are slow (very slow) to adjust tax valuations downward.

 

[Tororider]

I agree with Bird, although I have even heard of them changing appointments to make it less convenient for you to meet them. Good luck.

Shawn, I've had the same thing happen the last 2 years, but not nearly as big a percentage as you've had. We can go talk to one of the appraisors and if not satisfied there, we can file a written appeal to an appeal board and get a date to show up to present any evidence you want to that board. But each of the last two years I've gone to talk to an appraisor and the promptly lowered the appraisal. Of course, I took documentation as to what I paid for the property, homes for sale in the area at what asking price, etc.

I think they figure that most people won't take off work to go protest so they can raise more tax money that way and just lower the appraisal for those who do show up.