(Spirit Lake)– It’s that time of year again–time for new assessed valuations to arrive in the mail.
Many Dickinson county residents are scratching their heads as they open them, seeing increases at a time housing prices are falling.
But County Assessor Pat Dodds says the assessments aren’t based on the current market. She says they’re based on market conditions in late 2008. Dodds says that’s a time when real estate transactions in the lakes area are typically slow. Based on that, Dodds says she didn’t have enough evidence that would have justified a drop in value. Dodds told KUOO news that if she does see a continued decrease in actual market prices in the next six months, that she WILL re-value.
And while most classifications did see an increase, that wasn’t the case with all. Dodds says condominiums, for the most part, saw a decrease due to market conditions that were already present in that sector in late 2008. She says there were declines in home values that were widely scattered in some other classifications as well. But she says those were offset by increased land values.
Dodds is urging anyone who feels their assessed valuation is out of line to file an appeal with the county’s Board of Review. Appeal forms are available at her office or at the county’s website at www.co.dickinson.ia.us/
The deadline to file an appeal is quickly approaching. It’s May 5th.
