Wednesday, the receptionist at the Calhoun County Appraisal Office patiently assisted a small stream of homeowners who had dropped by to fill out a document that might lower their recent appraisals or who had come to talk with an appraiser.
After June 10, homeowners began receiving their house appraisals, and some were shocked at how much the value had risen. The increase means homeowners will likely pay higher property taxes for the next four years, when the valuations may change again.
The homeowner has until Sunday to protest the appraisal. He or she may appear at the office through Friday afternoon between 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with the recent tax appraisal they received in the mail, or he or she may call or email the office through Sunday and leave a message that they wish to protest the appraisal. The email is appraisal@calhouncounty.org and the number is 256-241-2870.
Only the homeowner may file the protest by signing the document, but another person may bring it into the office.
“If calling, the homeowner must state they wish to protest the appraisal, leave their name, address, a good phone and a mailing address,” said John McGinnis, the chief appraiser at the Appraisal Office.
In June, Patrick and Lynn Lacher, who live off Greenbrier Road, filed a protest document against their appraisal.
“Our property tax assessment went up by $35,000,” Lynn wrote on Facebook, “but we got a recommendation from an appraiser that it should be reduced by $30,000. I suggest if yours has also gone up that you file an appeal and ask to speak to an appraiser.”
“We protested because we have no intention of selling our property,” Patrick said, “and we plan to make no big improvements. The state imposed a 25 percent markup to cover the cost of building materials, and to need that, you must be making improvements. Also, if the state said the increase would cover the replacement cost of my house, I have insurance to cover that.”
The reason for the increase in house appraisals is because a 1.25 cost index was added by the state, county-wide, for all structures per state guidelines. That is a 25 percent increase in value for each structure on the property.
The values are based on replacement costs, and due to materials and labor cost increasing, this index was added to account for that, according to a document on the table in front of the Appraisal Office, which is located on the east end of the Calhoun County Administration Office, 1702 Noble St.
“Homeowners’ property values have gone up,” said Calhoun County Revenue Commissioner Tim Hodges, “but it is not the county that sets the index, it is the state.”
Hodges explained that some people think the county gets to keep the property taxes, but it gets to keep only about one percent. The rest is earmarked and goes to other entities. He added that the property taxes have been low for many years, and even with the recent increase.
The reason for the increases is that the cost of materials and labor have risen, and a new “land schedule” was implemented for the state that has set all land values at one base rate. The rate is categorized by whether a house sits on one of three types of roads: state-paved, county-paved or dirt gravel.
A second document, in front of the door of the appraisal office, explains the steps a homeowner must take to file a protest. Filing a protest may lead to a decrease in the house appraisal and the amount of taxes the homeowners must pay at the end of the year.
The steps listed in the document state the homeowner must do the following:
· Fill out the document entitled “Calhoun County Board of Equalization Market Value Hearing.” The homeowner will need to bring the Property Valuation Notice received in the mail. (Filling out the document takes only moments.)
· A county appraiser will review the homeowner’s valuation, contact him or her and state whether the appraisal has changed.
· If, after the review, the homeowner is still not satisfied with the valuation, an appraiser will set a hearing to formally meet with the County Board of Equalization to present information that the homeowner believes brings down their house’s value.
Hodges said some counties have a lower index cost and some have higher, depending on how much poverty exists there, and that property taxes in Alabama are relatively low.
“Even now,” he said, “we are next to last in the United States in property tax assessment.”
