Jones County Tax Assessors took the final step before tax assessments were mailed at a called meeting last week. It is important to note that higher property values do not mean higher taxes. The tax rate set by the Jones County Board of Commissioners, usually in August, determines the amount of taxes paid.
Just prior to the May 21 meeting, Justin Kelly, the fourth new member of the board, received his oath of office and took his seat on the tax assessors board.
Board Chairman Leigh Stanford called the meeting to order, and board member Joe Rutledge led the opening prayer and pledge.
Stanford began by updating members that the Board of Commissioners approved the funding for the revaluation at their meeting the previous night. She said the commissioners were also shown the ending numbers for the tax digest.
“The staff worked tremendously hard to have the assessments ready today,” she said.
Before approving the property assessments, the board members had work to do. Tables showing the current assessments and previous assessments were divided among the members.
Board secretary and appraiser Kim Adams explained what the lists showed. She said the assessors would see the previous and current year values. Adams and appraiser Bill Goodman were there to answer questions on any values that looked too high or too low.
Each of the board members found numerous properties with values that raised questions, most of which Goodman or Adams could explain.
The appraiser said changes have been made to every tax table. She said there were some properties that had lower values due to overrides being removed.
“Not all of them went up,” she said. “We did our best to make the assessments fair.”
One of the biggest changes to Jones County’s property values is an increase of the per-squarefoot value from the $60 to $110 per-square-foot.
Adams made a list of all the questions board members asked and stated they would be double checked before the file was transmitted to the vendor that will mail the assessment notices.
She also said some of the issues would not be caught and would need corrected first notices.
The meeting was called to order at 1 p.m., and that process of going over the values was not completed until 2:30 p.m.
The mail date of the assessment notices is May 29. After receiving their tax assessment notice, property owners have 45 days to file an appeal.
The May 29 date is two weeks later than the usual May 15 mailing date. However, Goodman said they actually expected to mail the notices in June or maybe even July.
“We never thought we would have them ready this soon,” he said.
Kelly said they should do something to get in front of the anticipated questions about the increases in property values.
Stanford suggested a town hall meeting and posts on the county website. Adams agreed with the idea.
“It’s our job to communicate with the public. Everyone should be able to understand their tax bill,” he said.
Goodman said they believe the commissioners will do the right thing and lower the tax rate.
“It’s the larger houses with more square footage that have the bigger increase,” he said.
The chairman called for a motion to approve the mailing of the notices. Board Member Andrea Riley made the motion, and the vote to approve was unanimous.
Board of Commissioner Chairman Chris Weidner and Commissioner John Wood attended the May 21 meeting and watched the entire process.
Citizens comments
Weidner was the first to come forward. He began by thanking Adams and Goodman, who were vital in the revaluation process from its beginning. He agreed that communication is the key to get the word out about the increase in property values and the tax assessments.
“It looks like we will have a substantial rollback,” he said.
Weidner went on to say that being able to decrease the county’s tax rate was good for economic development. He said businesses always look for counties with lower taxes.
“It’s unreal what you have done in 90 days. I thank you,” he said.
Wood served on the tax assessors board, including the position of chairman, before he was elected commissioner.
“I’ve seen Bill and Kim here on weekends. I thank you for asking the questions that needed to be asked,” he said.
Wood said everyone needs to work together to help educate the public. He said the question property owners need to ask themselves when they receive their assessment is, “Would you sell your house for what it is valued?”
Goodman said the commissioners set a precedent last year by lowering the tax rate.
“That helps us,” he said.
