Tax Assesors Approve Final Digest

The Board of Assessors (BOA) unanimously approved the 2011 Tax Digest Tuesday in a regular meeting.

The total gross digest came to $489,578,672, a reduction of $82,269,273 from last year. After reductions by exemptions of regular homestead, senior homestead, disabled veteran, Freeport, preferential agriculture, personal, historic, conservation use, forest land and inflationary growth the final net digest came to $350,035,604.

However, the digest still can’t be shut down, as it normally would, until the county commissioners set a millage rate and make a decision on increases to property owners.

After sending out 9,749 real assessment notices and 615 personal property assessments, only 29 appeals have been received, with approximately two weeks left in which to file an appeal.

The BOA also unanimously approved the Error and Release Forms, which makes changes in previous fair market values to current fair market values. This involved only one case in which a property owner was being charged for his neighbor’s garage.

Chief Appraiser Lynn Bentley presented the board with a new class schedule so board members could schedule required classes for the next year.
No regular meeting is scheduled for June, and beginning with July, the board will go back to its schedule of meeting the second Thursday of each month.

Accordingly, the next meeting was scheduled for Thursday, July 14, at 5 p.m. in the old law library at the Courthouse.