Dear SWCC Member, The Walton County Taxpayers Association (WCTA) will hold its 2007 annual meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 31, 2007. The meeting will be held at the Coastal Branch Library located in the Walton County Government/Education Center, Highway 331 South, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. You are invited to attend. There will be a short business meeting and a very timely and informative program. Here is a description of the program provided to me by the WCTA. Our featured guest speaker at the 2007 annual meeting is Walton County Property Appraiser Patrick Pilcher. This is a timely program since appraisals are done each January and homestead exemptions must be filed by March 1. Residential property which qualifies for homestead exemption enjoys a 3% annual cap on property appraisal increases, as a result of the ?Save Our Homes? amendment approved by Florida voters in 1992. Property taxes are based on property value; your tax bill is the result of the coordinated efforts of county taxing authorities and officials: 1) Property appraiser determines the market value of property; this value is the taxable value. 2) County commissioners determine tax rate and levy the tax. 3) Tax Collector sends tax notice and collects tax. We have asked Mr. Pilcher to address some of the questions asked by WCTA members: how often is my property appraised; how is the value of my property determined; will my property appraisal be reduced if surrounding property values decline. Additionally, Mr. Pilcher will discuss your right to meet with the property appraiser to discuss your concerns and the documentation you will need to support your case; your right to request facts supporting your property assessment; your right to petition the local value adjustment board to review your assessment; and, your right to go to circuit court to review a tax assessment or to appeal a decision to deny tax deferral or exemptions. The discussion will include when to file a homestead exemption and filing homestead exemptions appropriately. If time allows, additional questions will be taken at the meeting. Please plan to attend this very informative meeting on January 31.
