“Planet Election Guide: Property tax hike” plus 3 more

Planet Election Guide: Property tax hike
Champaign County property tax bills coming soon - and it could be worse
Disabled vets to get property tax exemption forms in mail
Assessor tries to simplify stateâs complex property tax laws

Planet Election Guide: Property tax hike

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 10:22 AM PDT

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Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Champaign County property tax bills coming soon - and it could be worse

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 05:15 AM PDT

URBANA – Champaign County property tax bills will go into the mail next Friday and, all things considered, that's good news.

For one thing, according to Champaign County Treasurer Dan Welch, the overall increase sought by taxing districts in the county is the second-lowest in the 37 years he's worked in the treasurer's office.

The overall tax bite by all local taxing districts amounts to $274 million, an increase of $4.1 million, or 1.52 percent, from last year.

"You go back to 1985, paying taxes for 1984, and the overall collection went down 1.67 percent," Welch said. "Any other year, all the way back to 1972, paid in 1973, nothing's been 1.52 (percent) or below."

And because the 73,314 Champaign County tax bills will go out on time – for the eighth consecutive year – taxpayers have three full months between their tax due dates (June 1 and Sept. 1), Welch said. Interest of 1.5 percent per month will be assessed on bills paid after those dates.

"Historically there's been only six or seven counties that are on time," he said. "The point I've made to the county board is that obviously it's good to get money in early so we can distribute money early to the taxing districts. And the taxpayers themselves get a full three months to make the second payment.

"Some of these other counties, they'll get the bills out in July and they'll have an August date and a September date so that there's hardly no time in between payments for taxpayers."

According to the 2009 tax rate sheets posted on the website of County Clerk Mark Shelden, the overall property tax rate for most Champaign residents is about $7.32 per $100 of assessed valuation, up just 2 cents from last year.

The overall tax rate for most Urbana residents is $8.34 per $100 of assessed valuation, up 12 cents from last year's $8.22.

The overall rate for Rantoul residents is about $9.15 per $100 of assessed valuation, up from about $9 last year.

As was the case last year, the highest tax rate in the county will be paid by residents of Harwood Township, northeast of Rantoul. Their rate is $9.44 per $100 of assessed valuation, a reduction from $9.64 last year.

The lowest rate is $5.24 per $100 of assessed valuation, paid by some property owners in Champaign Township.

Property taxpayers not pleased enough with the under 2 percent increase in their tax bills this year can consider the increase the average county property owner faced in 1977 tax bills: 13.54 percent.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Disabled vets to get property tax exemption forms in mail

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 01:04 AM PDT

Disabled vets to get property tax exemption forms in mail

By Peter Hirschfeld Vermont Press Bureau - Published: April 24, 2010

MONTPELIER – Following pressure from state and federal officials, the Department of Veterans Affairs on Friday said it will send thousands of disabled Vermont veterans the forms they need to qualify for property tax exemptions.
On Thursday, state officials sounded the alarm after learning that an administrative error at the Veterans Administration could cost disabled veterans across Vermont hundreds of dollars in property tax exemptions. On Friday, Vermont's House and Senate delegation followed with a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Erik Shinseki.
Late Friday afternoon, the Department of Veterans Affairs said it will immediately mail the verification forms to veterans, who should have the letters in time to meet the May 1 filing deadline.
"We are working with the state of Vermont to ensure our veterans and their survivors get the information they need to take advantage of Vermont's annual tax relief," White River Junction VA Regional Office Director Charlie Woolford said in a statement.
About 2,200 disabled veterans in Vermont qualify for significant property tax abatements. State law guarantees an exemption from school and municipal taxes on the first $10,000 of assessed property value; a majority of towns and cities have approved the maximum exemption of $40,000.
But in order to receive the benefits, veterans need "verification" forms from the VA. The filing deadline at municipalities around the state is May 1. As of Friday, according to the delegation, the forms had yet to be sent.
In their letter to Shinseki on Friday, Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernard Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch asked the issue be "immediately addressed to ensure that Vermont's veterans have the proper documentation to meet their May 1, 2010 deadline."
"Any further delay in this process during the current year will result in hundreds of eligible veterans paying significantly more in property taxes than they owe," the letter says. "We are concerned about the extreme financial hardship this will cause our veterans, particularly in the current economic climate."
In a recent letter to town clerks, Clayton Clark, director of the Vermont Office of Veterans affairs spells out how those veterans could be "adversely affected by failures on the part of the federal government."
He said Thursday that while many towns will accommodate late filings due to circumstances beyond the veterans' control, others may deny the special exemption.
The delegation said veterans looking to determine the status of the verification forms have been unable to get any information from the VA.
"Veterans who have used the Department's toll-free customer service line have reported that the customer service representatives are unfamiliar with the program and are unable to provide accurate information about the letters," the delegation wrote. "We would … ask that you take steps to ensure that in the coming days, Vermont's veterans are provided accurate information about the status of these letters when they contact the centralized call center."
Letters should be in veterans' hands by April 28, the VA said in a statement. But Clark said the delay – veterans will have only three days to get the materials to their local town clerks – is symptomatic of larger problems associated with the centralization of VA benefits administration.
Clark said he appreciates the concept, which is intended to ensure fair and consistent eligibility guidelines across state lines.
Clark said he wants the VA to let the state Office of Veterans Affairs take over the verification-form mailing duties, and have the papers in veterans mailboxes by February or March. But that would require the VA to hand over confidential information about recipients to the state, a move it has so far been unwilling to make.
"They would send us a list of veterans who meet the eligibility criteria and we'll handle the mailing. We could send it out in February or March without any problems," Clark said. "I wish I could be more helpful, but as a state entity I don't know who is getting federal VA benefits."
The VA release said veterans who do not receive their letters by April 28 should request the verification from the VA Regional Office in White River Junction by e-mail at vttaxletter.vbawrj@va.gov or by faxing a signed request to 291-6299. It is important that the veteran's full name, VA claim number or other identifying information is provided when requesting the disability verification letter, the VA said.
Veterans with questions concerning state and county tax abatement issues may contact Vermont's Department of Veterans Affairs toll free information line at (888) 666-9844 or 828-3379, or by visiting a nearby state veterans' office.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Assessor tries to simplify stateâs complex property tax laws

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 03:15 AM PDT

BISBEE — "Arizona has one of the most complex property tax laws in the nation."

County tax assessor Phil Leinendecker set about explaining just how confusing property valuations are as well as how important it is for the county's properties to be appropriately valued. The state mandates that valuations be done annually and the county has been under an order to get caught up with property in the Sulphur Springs Valley, Willcox, Bowie and Pearce areas.

That's where the confusing part comes in, he told the Board of Supervisors in a recent work session. "When the real estate market is booming, there's not a problem. When it falls off, it takes a few years to catch up to the market decline."

Recently, county property owners received their valuation notices for the 2010 tax year. However, those valuations are based on market sales from 2008, said Leinendecker. This is also confusing to taxpayers. The valuation year is always behind the tax year. Market values and sales were not yet in a decline in 2008. In some areas of the county, real estate values have barely declined at all, as with Bisbee.

Sales activity dropped nearly 75 percent in 2009 and some rural vacant parcels lost 20 percent of value, added Leinendecker.

The 2011 tax year assessed valuation will be of market values of 2009.

In an overview of the duties of the state Department of Revenue and the assessor's office, he said the values of utilities, airlines, railroads, mines and other geographically dispersed properties (properties that encompass more than one county or state) are determined by the DOR. Those figures are transmitted to the county Board of Supervisors for entry on the county tax rolls for levy and collection of property taxes.

County assessors, utilizing appraisal standards and manuals prescribed by the DOR, are responsible for assessment of other classes of property, including residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural properties, he explained. His office must locate all taxable property in the county, assign a classification and then perform the valuations. These tasks are performed by searching deeds of transfer, mapping new subdivisions and following parcel sales and splits and checking new construction permits.

A big task is keeping up with changes in property ownership to be sure the tax bill goes to the right person, he added.

Staff from the assessor's office will also visit property where construction is taking place to take measurements of any new additions or outbuildings. "We can access the property to do this, but if we are asked to leave, we do. We then take estimates of measurements and use those figures for new valuations of properties."

To determine a property's value, residential, commercial, industrial and vacant land are assessed on fair market value. The special statutory valuation method is applied to agricultural land, shopping centers, golf courses and common areas.

In order for land to be granted ag ranch status, there must be at least 40 head of cattle on the property. In some areas of the county, the standard of one cow per 80 acres is required due to meet the dietary needs of the cattle. Value for farmed land is based on the income from the crops.

There are exemptions as well that must be considered in the valuation process, stated Leinendecker. For example, widows and widowers, those that are 100 percent disabled and certain organizations get a reduction of around $3,445. There is also a senior freeze which holds valuation rates on a primary residence for three years for those 65 years and older if they meet the income limit and residency requirement.

Appeals of valuations or classifications for locally assessed properties have to be filed by April 30. Forms are online at: www.azdor.gov/Forms/Property.aspx .

Just The Facts

More about how valuations are assessed can be found on the county Web site: http://cochise.az.gov/ and under the department tab, select assessor's office. The assessors can be reached at 432-8650.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Property Tax

Saturday, April 24, 2010