(Greenfield) In a weekly legislative newsletter, Iowa House District #23 Representative Ray Sorensen asked constituents if they were upset with their new property tax assessment. If yes, he commented, “Me too, or more accurately, the taxes I will owe.”
The Greenfield Republican stated Iowa law requires all residential property to be reassessed every two years on the odd-numbered year by the county assessor. That means Iowans had their homes reassessed this year. When assessing a house—what is being discussed is determining market value. The Assessor finds the market value by analyzing recent sales but also looks at the replacement cost, the amount it would cost to rebuild the property, and less depreciation. The assessed value should be as close to market value as possible.
He noted people often wonder how an assessor knows that they finished a basement or added a bathroom without ever coming into a home. Assessors find most of this information by reviewing building permits filed with the local city hall or the county. Another issue is when they find mistakes in their assessments—like a basement that claims to be finished when it is not. When homeowners find inaccuracies in their evaluation, they should contact the Assessor’s office. The Assessor will review it and determine if the changes need to be made. An appraiser from the Assessor’s office may need to walk through the property to obtain accurate data.
After considering all relevant information, Sorensen said assessments are sent out to homeowners by April 1 of the assessment year. A homeowner will not pay the taxes on these assessments until September of the following year. What if a homeowner completely disagrees with evaluating their home and property? Fortunately, there is a process for you to argue your case. The first step is NOT to call the Department of Revenue. Instead, file with the local Board of Review; the form needed is the Board of Review Petition. This website will describe the process: https://paab.iowa.gov/appealing-your-assessment. In a reassessment year, a property owner may protest an assessment for one or more of the following reasons: the review is not comparable to others with similar properties, the property is assessed at more than its actual value, the property is exempt from taxation, there is an error in the assessment, the assessment is fraudulent. The local Assessor’s office can receive completed protest forms from April 2 to April 30. The Board of Review will then review the evaluation and determine whether the assessed value is fair. If, after review, you still do not agree with the estimated value, the homeowner may choose to appeal the case by filing in district court or with the Property Assessment Appeal Board at the Department of Revenue.
According to Cass County Assessor Mary Anstey, there is one more appeal process from April 2 – April 25. They may do an informal appeal. That is direct with the Assessor’s office and staff. If unsatisfied with the casual protest outcome, they can go to the Board of Review. Board of Review protests must be returned to the Assessor by May 1. If they are later, the BOR will not consider them. Anstey says they do send out letters asking for updated information about properties.
“We have added and taken away things that have been reported. If the forms are not returned, our data will not be changed. If buildings are removed, we need to be notified,” said Anstey. “One thing that must be remembered is that we have over 6200 homes in Cass County. It is accurate to say that we will not get everything correct. That does not count our commercial, industrial, or ag buildings. Thanks for your time and cooperation.”
