Monday, August 2, 2010

“Poorer cities pay higher property tax rates than more affluent ones, L.A. County records show” plus 2 more

“Poorer cities pay higher property tax rates than more affluent ones, L.A. County records show” plus 2 more

Poorer cities pay higher property tax rates than more affluent ones, L.A. County records show

Posted: 02 Aug 2010 08:15 AM PDT

Residents of wealthier cities generally pay lower property tax rates than those in poorer cities, according to L.A. County tax records.

The information, provided by the L.A. County auditor-controller's office, comes amid debate about city salaries and taxes in the working-class community of Bell. The Times' Kim Christensen reported last week that while Bell was paying its city manager nearly $800,000 a year, its residents paid the second-highest property tax rate in the county, 1.55%.

Neighboring working-class cities, including Compton, San Fernando, El Monte, Huntington Park, Maywood, Montebello and Inglewood, also have high property tax rates. Indeed, of the 10 cities with the highest rates, six had median household incomes below $50,000.

The city of Los Angeles ranked No. 13, with a property tax rate of 1.22%.

Cities with the lowest rates tended to be more affluent. The bottom 10 included Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Cerritos and La Habra Heights.

Of the bottom 10, seven had median annual household incomes of at least $100,000 and six had median incomes of at least $128,000.

There were exceptions. Bellflower, a city with a median household income of only $53,000, recorded the lowest tax rate in the county: 1.02%. 

Population appears not to be a major factor in the rate structure. L.A. County's second-largest city, Long Beach, was ranked No. 43 among the county's 88 cities at 1.11%; Glendale was 76, Santa Clarita was 24, Pomona was 23 and Torrance was 74.

All county property owners pay 1% general property tax, along with special or direct assessments levied by their municipalities. The countywide average of all tax rates is 1.16%, or $11.60 for every $1,000 of assessed value.

Check out The Times' full interactive chart tracking property tax rates in Los Angeles County. The chart uses the highest tax rate for the assessed value of homes in each city. It does not account for direct assessments for services such as lighting, sewage, refuse and others charged by cities. Even within cities, rates can vary because of additional assessments for schools or special services that may apply only to certain areas.

-- Shelby Grad and Anthony Pesce

Photo: Protests in Bell. Christine House / For The Times

[For the record, 8:26 a.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly listed the median income for Bellflower as $60,000].

Investigating Bell: A Times special report:

Is a city manager worth $800,000?

In depth: High salaries in Bell

Interactive: How the salaries got so high

Bell residents are not happy about high salaries

High salaries fuel anger in Bell

Bell council members under investigation for $100,000 salaries

Video: Why do Bell officials make so much money? The Times' Jeff Gottlieb explains.

Bell city manager might be highest paid in nation

Bell council found loophole to allow big salaries

DA expands investigation of Bell

Bell salary scandal has other cities running for cover

Photos: Protests in Bell

Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Cook County Property Tax Cap Extended

Posted: 02 Aug 2010 06:59 AM PDT

Updated: Monday, 02 Aug 2010, 8:42 AM CDT
Published : Monday, 02 Aug 2010, 8:42 AM CDT

Chicago - Governor Pat Quinn signed a new property tax law Sunday extending Cook County's 7 percent cap on property assessments.

The new law also extends a popular tax credit for homeowners.

There is a snag for seniors: senior citizens must now reapply for their tax exemption every year instead of it renewing automatically.

That's something Quinn is not happy about, but he says without this bill, a lot of homeowners would owe thousands of dollars more.

"I think the greater good is to enact the cap on the assessments and property taxes of people who have to pay in a few months and also for next two years," Quinn said.

Quinn said the senior exemption can be fixed later.
 

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Island property tax bills arrive

Posted: 01 Aug 2010 09:16 PM PDT

7/31/10 — This week most island property owners received their property tax bills for fiscal year 2011. The bills are based on an increase of 4.5 percent over last year's budget and on a new mill rate calculated this spring.

The mill rate was adjusted to make up for the drop in assessed property values this year, which declined by an average of 21 percent for island homeowners. The mill rate is adjusted up or down every year to make sure that tax revenue doesn't fluctuate with home values.

Finance Director Amy Land explained that the property revaluation does not affect the town's budget but does affect individual tax rates. If a home is assessed to have a greater than 21 percent loss in value, the owner will see a tax increase of less than 4.5 percent; however, if the property has lost less than 21 percent of its value, the tax rate will be higher than 4.5 percent.

Land said that the revaluation amounted to a redistribution of the property owners' tax burden. Island properties that lost relatively less value than the average will now shoulder a greater portion of the property taxes, while those properties that lost value in relation to the average property will be shouldering less.

By adjusting the mill rate, the town is able to collect the amount of property taxes needed for the proposed budget despite falling home prices. The proposed tax levy for 2011 is $7,868,148, compared to last year's $7,539,857, a difference of $328,291; the total proposed budget is $10,951,559.

While the 2011 budget is only slightly higher than the 2010 budget, the 4.5 percent increase in property tax revenue is needed to offset losses in state funding and some other revenue sources.

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