Independent tax appeals board created
The Fayette County commissioners Thursday voted to appoint an independent tax assessment appeals board to hear property assessment appeals for the next four years. The independent board, which will consist of a person selected by each of the three commissioners, will be in place next year when the county issues the new property values as part of the reassessment that is currently under way.
The action was approved with a 2-1 vote, with commission Chairman Vincent Zapotosky and Commissioner Vincent A. Vicites in favor of the motion, and Commissioner Angela M. Zimmerlink voting against it.
Prior to the vote, Vicites said he was in favor of an independent board four years ago when the former board of commissioners opted to act as the board themselves. Zimmerlink and former Commissioner Joseph A. Hardy III voted to take on that role, with Vicites against it.
Vicites said he thinks it is good to start this year with an independent board, so they will be familiar with their job when the revaluation takes place.
Zimmerlink pointed out that the commissioners should be prepared to appoint board members and set their rate of pay, as well as determine where the money will be taken from to pay the board members.
“Monies were not specifically set aside for this (this year),” Zimmerlink said.
Zimmerlink said during the time the former board of commissioners acted as the appeals board, they heard quite a lot of appeals. She said each of the commissioners made independent decisions because they followed the rules and assessment law.
Zimmerlink said if the commissioners want to use the “standards of taking away politics,” perhaps they should not hear rezoning appeals, either.
Vicites said five years ago, when the reassessment took place, there were 10,000 appeals. Although he said he doesn’t anticipate that many this time, he said there could be thousands of appeals. During the initial reassessment, an independent appeals board was in place, as well as several alternate boards, because of the volume of appeals.
“We will have to budget more money next year. This year it will be a small amount but we will get the board started,” Vicites said.
Vicites estimated the cost of paying the appeals board this year would be about $2,000.
Fayette County chief assessor James A. Hercik previously said he doesn’t anticipate as many appeals for the reassessment this time because it is being done in house by people who are more familiar with property values throughout the county. The reassessment done in 2003 was completed by an outside firm and was the first such undertaking in more than 40 years.
Hercik previously said some areas of the county might actually see a decrease in property values as a result of the new reassessment. The new property values will be sent to property owners next spring and appeals will be held in the summer and fall of 2009, to go into effect Jan. 1, 2010.