Property Taxes

[dooleysm]

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.

Fortunately, my job allows me pretty good flexibility as far as taking off when I need to, so I don't think they'll be able to play those games with me. They're going to have to fight with my dad too, and he lives and works within a mile or two of city hall.

 

[mbohuntr]

I guess someday I'll rent, or buy a big travel trailer. You can't complain that they raised your tax bill 1200%, only that they are sticking it to you harder than your neighbor...I miss my own property to hunt on, first time in over 30 years. I just can't justify paying that much for dirt...

 

[Bird]

There's an interesting article in the Dallas Morning News today Dallas County appraiser: Property values falling with fewer new buildings going up. Of course I live one county north of Dallas County so it'll be interesting to see what our appraisor does.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

We get appraised every 3 yrs. They use nearby sale prices that are supposed to be comparable to your property / house size. I fought my last one and got it reduced some, they were using property not even close to me in comparison, using larger houses, larger lot sizes. I appealed and sent them the tax assessment of nearby houses and properties that were more similar to mine. It helped. Our county is also facing large budget problems, like everyone, yet they keep spending money on things that really could wait.

 

[dmccarty]

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.

Four years ago a group of like mind people that they named The Coalition. They hate business and developers. Which is really funny since the mayor is a developer. Go figure. And of course they all live in houses built by developers.

These bozos have increased our taxes far more than other counties and are spending the money on highly paid Human RELATIONS and environmental staff. The also are spending $180,000 of Federal money, thank you all for helping, as well as a another $180,000 of local tax money. This is a full size bus that will run for 18 months. The bus line only runs on one road from one town to another. The full sized bus has at most 30 people a day. Do the math and that works out so that each rider is taking $666.67 a month to serve.

And this is Progress....

These idiots have been told that the 3,000 foot buffer will cause lawsuits and cost the tax payers. This 3,000 foot buffer is being proposed for a section of FOUR lane high way......

The Coalition fought against a zoning change which would have allowed a Walmart or Target shopping center along this highway serving the north part of the county. This would have brought in quite a bit of tax revenue. So now people have to drive to other counties to shop. How is that Green? How does driving farther protect the environment?

If they really gave a rats behind for the "poor" people, their words not mine, that are served by the bus, the bus drives right by the land were the shopping center was to be located. Gee that could have helped. And there is no bus service to ANY retail Just from town to town which serves a very limited and specific population.

These are issues in the next election.

Later,
Dan

 

[mjarrels]

Best public transportation I ever saw and used were in third world countries.

mark

 

[bdeboer]

Is the land in Ag or Forestry? Here in Ohio we do not have to show our income figures if we own 10 acres or more. They do check that land is being cut for hay etc., and there is a card we have to fill out or they will remove our ag tax rates.

 

[dooleysm]

I did just talk to someone at the assessor's office and it appears that they have changed my classification from ag to residential. I'm still going to appeal and argue that I'm using some of the 10 acres for agriculture. I have about a half acre in garden, of which I take some to the farmer's market. I raise about 50 chickens for meat and eggs. I have plans to put most of the rest of the land into a pasture for goats. I have gotten started on that project as far as moving dirt for a shelter/barn. Another probably 2 acres is wooded/runoff ditch.

I would agree that about 1.5 acres is residential (including house/yard/driveway), but I don't agree that the balance is residential.

 

[2manyrocks]

That's what they do. They look for new revenue by changing classifications, rates, assessments. There are lots of old folks in the city who can't pay their property taxes because the city keeps jacking their taxes.

And our bozos who ran the city council 20 years ago have now made their way to being bozos in the state house of representatives. I was looking for a state bill the other day and found a bunch of their proposed bills, and then I remembered the things they'd propose in the city council when I used to watch the council meetings.

 

[charlz]

I did just talk to someone at the assessor's office and it appears that they have changed my classification from ag to residential. I'm still going to appeal and argue that I'm using some of the 10 acres for agriculture. I have about a half acre in garden, of which I take some to the farmer's market. I raise about 50 chickens for meat and eggs. I have plans to put most of the rest of the land into a pasture for goats. I have gotten started on that project as far as moving dirt for a shelter/barn. Another probably 2 acres is wooded/runoff ditch.

I would agree that about 1.5 acres is residential (including house/yard/driveway), but I don't agree that the balance is residential.

Here you have to show 3 years of 'Ag' income to get an Ag property tax classification. I would definitely appeal and maybe showing some type of farm income would help.

How is the land zoned? Did they re-zone you to a residential type zoning and thus are saying you need to be taxed for residential?

 

[jinman]

Best public transportation I ever saw and used were in third world countries.

mark

Are you referring to the Jeepney in the Philippines or the Baht bus in Pattaya, Thailand? :laughing:

 

[Bird]

We get appraised every 3 yrs.

Instead of towns appraising property, we have something called a Central Appraisal District; (usually one county) that provides the appraisals for every taxing authority within that district. Our county re-appraises once a year, some only do it every 2 years. I'm not sure whether any go longer than that or not.

 

[MossRoad]

Best public transportation I ever saw and used were in third world countries.

mark

Like Washington, DC?


:laughing:

They have great transportation there.

 

[mjarrels]

Don't forget the Trycicles, Victory liners or Philippine Rabit buses. Don't need no stinkin car in the PI.

mark

 

[Bird]

Like Washington, DC?


:laughing:

They have great transportation there.

The only time I used any of the public transportatoin in Washington, DC, was in 1986 and it was great then. Parking in town was very expensive, so I parked my Honda Aspencade at the Pentagon on a Saturday morning and rode their rail transportation to go to the Smithsonian for the day. The parking was free and I think the train ride was six bits each way; a bargain for sure.

 

[dooleysm]

I'm not sure on zoning. I don't have ag income, I sell a bit at the farmers market, but not enough to bother with reporting. It's mostly for personal use/consumption. I'm still going to fight it out with them.

 

[Chuck52]

I think there's a move here in Missouri to freeze or limit at least the increases on property taxes for seniors. In Tennessee, my mother has been able to get her real estate taxes frozen on her home, though she has to file some paperwork on that each year. Is that happening anywhere else? I know it wouldn't apply to most of us, but in a way it does make sense. Many seniors are on fixed incomes, and one can argue that they have already paid there "dues"....of course there are counter-arguments. I don't know of any cases, but the way school taxes go up around here it wouldn't be hard to imagine some older folks being taxed out of their homes.

Chuck

 

[Bird]

I think there's a move here in Missouri to freeze or limit at least the increases on property taxes for seniors. In Tennessee, my mother has been able to get her real estate taxes frozen on her home, though she has to file some paperwork on that each year. Is that happening anywhere else? I know it wouldn't apply to most of us, but in a way it does make sense. Many seniors are on fixed incomes, and one can argue that they have already paid there "dues"....of course there are counter-arguments. I don't know of any cases, but the way school taxes go up around here it wouldn't be hard to imagine some older folks being taxed out of their homes.

Chuck

Chuck, the school taxes are by far the biggest chunk of the property tax, and Texas already has a freeze available for seniors on school taxes, but not the rest of the property taxes. If anyone, regardless of age, has a homestead exemption, they cannot increase the appraised value more than 10% per year. I just checked and see that state law requires re-appraisal at least every 3 years, so if any district uses the 3 year cycle, they could increase your appraise value up to 30% at a time. But at least, I do now have my school taxes frozen as long as I, or my wife, lives here.

 

[brin]

Georgia has a huge reduction of school taxes ( the biggest part of our tax bill ) for Sr. Citizens but it only applies to your house and 1 acre so it helps but for those of us that own other property like farms or rental houses it does not help on those.

 

[brin]

What do you fellas think about just adding about 2 % to the sales tax in each of our cities and counties and do away with property taxes all together..It seems to me that travelers, visitors and renters should all share in the services our taxes pay for. As a rental property owner I can say that I have never been able to raise my rents enough to off set property tax increases...so as far as I can see Renters get off pretty much scott free..free educations, free services..etc and so do those commuting to work in our communities...To me a sales tax specifically to replace property taxes makes more sense and then those of us that own property actually will truly own it.. I have long said as long as you have to pay property taxes you are really just renting your property from the government since the first time you don't pay your taxes the Sheriff will be out to take your property from you...True ownership comes when it is truly yours free and clear.

Thoughts?