Wednesday, September 18, 2002
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Wednesday, September 18, 2002 |
| Want to appeal
your tax reassessment?
The outcome seems predetermined Mr. Webster's letter compels me to write in support of an article or series of articles by The Citizen on property assessments and the appeals process. I submitted an appeal of my 2001 property assessment to the Fayette County Board of Assessors. I received a prompt reply informing me that my appeal had been denied but that I could further appeal the decision to the Board of Equalization. I elected to appear before the Board of Equalization. As a former licensed Realtor, I believe that I have a reasonable working knowledge of the methods for determining the fair market value of residential property as well as the formal appraisal process. I gathered appropriate data and made my presentation to the Board of Equalization on a Monday at 11:30 a.m. The members of the board were very polite and assured me that they were an impartial board of volunteers that were primarily interested in fairness to the homeowner as well as the county. I spent approximately 30 to 45 minutes making my presentation and provided each board member with a copy of my presentation. I was informed by the board that they would give careful consideration to my information and that I would receive a written reply within 10 days. I did receive a reply well within the 10-day limit. In fact, the form letter denying my appeal was delivered to my home by the U.S. Postal Service the very next day! I am still in awe of a process that enables a group of three individuals to give "careful consideration" to 10 pages of data, fill in the blanks on a preprinted form and get it to the Post Office for delivery via regular mail the very next day! And they did all this in addition to hearing other appeals after my appearance! After my own experience with the appeals process, I would advise other homeowners to not waste your time and effort. The decision is made long before you submit your appeal to the County Board of Assessors or appear before the Board of Equalization. Bob Young Fayetteville
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