From the Elkhart Truth:
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More than half of people who own residential properties in Elkhart County will find that their assessments actually decreased this year, Searcy said. Of the 42,045 residential parcels in the county, 53 percent dropped, and the rest either increased or remained the same.
There are a few reasons for fluctuations, Searcy said. She noted that the state issued new cost tables that dictate what the county should charge per square foot for each floor of a building, concrete patios, roof extensions, detached garages and other add-ons. The depreciation schedule for structures also changed, she said. As of last year, buildings were being depreciated from 1999. Now, they are depreciated from 2012.
“Cost tables may have taken their assessment up, but depreciation could take it down,” Searcy said.
The 2012 reassessment was the county’s first time using aerial maps to verify the classifications of land. For example, some parcels were reclassified from agricultural to residential, which causes an increase in the assessment of a property.
This year, the county hired an outside firm, Indiana Assessment Services in Rochester, to verify property characteristics and generate more accurate assessments.
“Some people may see an increase, but it may not just be that the value of their property went up,” Searcy said. “It may be they were incorrectly assessed before.”
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The county’s last general reassessment was conducted in 2002. Since then, the county has taken over assessments that were previously performed by townships. Concord is now the only township in the county with its own assessor.
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Searcy suggests that residents who have questions or don’t agree with their assessments file an appeal by Oct. 15. She said they can do this by sending a letter to her office including their name, address, parcel number and phone number. The county plans to resolve all appeals before tax bills are mailed next spring.
http://www.etruth.com/article/20120910/NEWS01/709099954
