TAX VALUE NOTICES GOING OUT; MOST WILL BE HIGHER
Preliminary results show more than 150K of those will report values going up in Montgomery County.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY — A majority of property owners in Montgomery County will soon receive notices showing the taxable value of their home or commercial real estate has increased, according to the county auditor.
Following a countywide reappraisal, the notices are now in the mail to more than 200,000 property owners. The revaluation letters also include instructions for how to appeal a new tentative value that will impact property taxes beginning next year, said Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith.
“If they disagree with that or they feel like we missed the mark or they want to challenge that, this summer is their opportunity to meet with our appraisers oneon-one to discuss their property … and the value they think should be on that property,” Keith said.
Preliminary results of a countywide reappraisal show 70% of residential properties and 60% of commercial properties gained taxable value. More than 150,000 property owners will see values go up — about 81,000 by double digits, Keith said.
Property owners in the Current Agricultural Use Valuation, or CAUV, program will receive those notices once the state sets values, according to the audi
tor’s office.
The residential and commercial property valuation notices were mailed out Friday and about 50 property owners had already scheduled informal reviews online or called Monday with questions, Keith said Tuesday.
To schedule an informal hearing, property owners can call 937-225-5096 or visit MCReval.org. The hotline, however, was down Tuesday due to Monday’s water main break in Dayton, which closed the Montgomery County Administration Building. The auditor’s office expects operations to resume today.
Keith said many questions can be answered or issues resolved with a phone call to the office without scheduling a hearing.
The most common question is whether a tax bill will go up. But a 10% jump in value doesn’t mean taxes go up 10%, Keith said.
“Typically, it does not go up one-to-one as a result of a value increase,” he said. “Trying to give an easy, straightforward answer to that question is difficult, especially at this point in the process until the end of the year and we get through the remaining steps that need to be taken.”
Beginning today, informal hearings will be held on 37 days in August and September. For safety of the public and county appraisal staff, the meetings will take place remotely via Zoom, by video conference or telephone.
Every three years, the auditor is required by the state to reappraise all property in the county. Following the last triennial update of property values in 2017, about 7,000 phone calls came in from property owners and about 3,500 reviews were scheduled, according to the auditor’s office.
“To a lot of people, the process remains mysterious and something that they don’t quite understand. They don’t quite feel like they have a voice in and we want to try to overcome that,” Keith said.