Union County Auditor Andrea Weaver said her office has already started gathering evidence for the six-year revaluation set for 2019. Weaver said photographers working for her office will be going to properties around the county. She said the photographers will be clearly identified in color-coded vests with “Union County Auditor” across the front and back. The photographers’ vehicles are clearly identified with a sign “County Appraiser.”
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While the Union County Board of Revisions (BOR) works to finish the 2016 update, the county auditor’s office is already starting the 2019 revaluation.
County Auditor Andrea Weaver said 377 property owners appealed the valuations of their home.
“I would say that we are halfway through with completing the hearings that we will be holding,” Weaver said.
She said the BOR had a week of hearings in May and property owners were notified of the board’s decisions.
“Many of the settlement offers have been accepted and are being implemented,” Weaver said.
The auditor explained that most of the hearings already completed did not involve school district appeals. She explained that if the property owner wants a value change or more than $50,000, the school district has 30 days to respond to the appeal. She said because of the state-mandated timeline, hearings that could involve the school district couldn’t be held in May. She said that because of vacation schedules, there will be no hearings in July.
“We have a whole bunch of hearings to schedule,” Weaver said.
The next round of hearings will be in August. Property owners will be notified of the hearing dates closer to the scheduled days. Weaver explained that many of the hearings yet to be scheduled should go “fairly quickly.” She said that many of the remaining hearings involve a recent sale.
“These are truly no brainers,” said Weaver.
She added, “the mere existence of that sale is evidence enough for the reduction.”
Weaver said that if the requested reduction is less than $50,000, a settlement is often granted without a hearing.
The auditor said she hopes the BOR will complete the hearings in August.
In 2015, the total taxable land in Union County was valued at $1.495 billion. In 2016, with taxes billed and collected in 2017, that total county valuation increased to $1.714 billion. Weaver said it could be “quite some time” before she is able to have a final value that includes the BOR decisions.
While the BOR is working to settle values established as part of last year’s update, officials from the auditor’s office are already collecting information for the reappraisal in 2019.
Ohio Revised Code and the Ohio Department of Taxation rules require that real property be reappraised every six years and updated in the third year.
County auditors perform the reappraisals and updates. Weaver said that during the next several months, residents may notice individuals with cameras in their neighborhoods. The photographers are working for Weaver.
“The photographs being taken are strictly for use by property appraisers for verifying basic exterior data in conjunction with the county’s 2019 revaluation,” Weaver said in a recent release.
She said property owners will get a letter in the mail before a photography team arrives. On the back of the letter is a request for information about the residence. Weaver said property owners should review the information for accuracy and return it to her office.
The auditor said photographers will be clearly identified in color-coded vests with “Union County Auditor” on the front and back. The photographers’ vehicles are clearly identified with a sign “County Appraiser.” The vehicles are registered with local and county law enforcement.
Weaver also wants to remind property owners that her office will inspect any building damaged or destroyed by severe weather. The free inspection program is also available for damages caused by other natural forces such as fires, earthquakes, flooding, tornados and wind storms, as well as man-made destruction, such as tearing down a barn or other building.
“Immediately filing with the county auditor for this free inspection to be made by the county could save the property owner up to 100 percent of the structure’s tax value,” she wrote in a release.
To receive this reduction on damages this year, the property owner must file a destroyed property form in Weaver’s office before the end of the year. An appraiser from Weaver’s office will inspect the damage and report the findings to her.
Weaver has said that anyone with questions about the photographers, the revaluation, the BOR or the damage inspection program is welcome to contact her office at (937) 645-3003 between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday – Friday.