Agenda - 09-05-2013 - 5a - Laserfiche WebLink

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23 1 Commissioner McKee asked if there are any other avenues. 2 Dwane Brinson said taxpayers have the right to appeal each year, but it is not 3 retroactive. 4 John Roberts said one potential avenue is for taxpayers to speak to their legislators. He 5 said the General Assembly can change this law and add a condition allowing the Board of 6 County Commissioners to issue refunds. 7 Chair Jacobs referred to page 20 in the agenda abstract and said the idea of addressing 8 this issue has been part of their legislative agenda for years. 9 Commissioner Pelissier noted that there is going to be a verification of records for the 10 next revaluation. She asked if there is a way to add a note to the tax bills that will encourage 11 taxpayers to review their bills for accuracy. 12 Dwane Brinson answered yes. He said there is an app that can be downloaded to help 13 locate all building information. He said this will help the County have a transparent revaluation 14 process. He said that there will also be door hangers placed at residences when revaluations 15 are done, and owners are not at home. The evaluation findings will be listed and owners will be 16 encouraged to notify the County of necessary corrections. 17 Commissioner Pelissier asked if there will be a new method implemented to avoid errors 18 with new construction. 19 Dwane Brinson staff is aware of the procedures, and this is not a problem with new 20 construction. He said past practices are being remedied to the best of their ability. 21 Commissioner porosin said one goal is that taxpayers concerns can be challenged 22 through the equalization and review process. He noted that several of the letters stated that the 23 taxed square footage does not show up on the bill. He asked if this can be changed to give 24 proper notice. 25 Dwane Brinson said it is not possible to put it on tax bills, but reference can be given to 26 encourage taxpayers to review their property with the new ARIES application and the county 27 website. 28 Frank Clifton noted that taxes are often paid by banks rather than homeowners and he 29 said that one idea is to work with banks and put out public notices to inform people of the new 30 process and encourage them to check the links 31 Commissioner porosin asked if an insert can be included in the bill to taxpayers with this 32 information. He said that the county should provide these refunds to these individuals. He said 33 taxing people for property they don't own is illegal and there is recourse for these residents to 34 file a lawsuit under the statute. 35 Commissioner Gordon said the information states refunds cannot be given for a 36 judgment error. She understands that it does not seem fair, but it is a difficult situation because 37 the Board of County Commissioners can be personally liable if a refund is given. She feels that 38 efforts should be renewed to change the law. 39 Commissioner McKee agreed with Commissioner Gordon, and he feels the Board 40 should lobby their legislators. He said he is not inclined to disagree with the School of 41 Government or John Roberts' advice. 42 Commissioner Pelissier said the situation is very unfortunate. She said that she recently 43 looked up her taxes and discovered she has also been paying taxes on an extra 500 square 44 feet. She said she is not inclined to go against legal counsel on this issue. She feels that 45 efforts need to be made to educate residents on the need to evaluate their property. 46 Dwane Brinson said it is a much more fluid process with community involvement and 47 feedback. 48 Chair Jacobs noted that, prior to cost cuts, there were inserts in the tax bills. He 49 suggested that the County go back to having an insert in tax bills telling residents how to look 50 up the square footage measurements.