Property Tax Bills

[Smiling JOe]

look into what is going into this proposed budget! According to our notices, there is a public hearing on the proposed budget on Sept 6th and Sept 12th in DeFuniak. Perhaps we should all show up and voice our concern.

My notices show meeting dates as Sept 6th, 7th, 8th, 12th, and 15th.
I received my new notices today. Most of my properties' assessed value increased around 300+%. However, one property, is assessed at just under $1,000.I am not complaining, but it sure makes me wonder who picks up the difference, and how many are this out of whack. Most of my properties are still assessed at less than market value. In addition to one being assessed at less than $1,000, another is actually assessed at about 14 % of actual market value. The remainder are closer to having the assessed values near 80% of the market value. Also, I have a 2005 purchase for which I received no notice.

 

[Miss Kitty]

My notices show meeting dates as Sept 6th, 7th, 8th, 12th, and 15th.
I received my new notices today. Most of my properties' assessed value increased around 300+%. However, one property, is assessed at just under $1,000.I am not complaining, but it sure makes me wonder who picks up the difference, and how many are this out of whack. Most of my properties are still assessed at less than market value. In addition to one being assessed at less than $1,000, another is actually assessed at about 14 % of actual market value. The remainder are closer to having the assessed values near 80% of the market value. Also, I have a 2005 purchase for which I received no notice.

My earlier ? was about these public hearings....do they hold multiple hearings by districts or to allow tax payers more chances to RANT!

 

[Smiling JOe]

My earlier ? was about these public hearings....do they hold multiple hearings by districts or to allow tax payers more chances to RANT!

I am not sure. It appears to me that each meeting date corresponds to the taxing authority for each line item.

 

[joho]

Two of my vacant properties rose from 336.23 to 1686.34 this year......I'll be looking for you at the meeting.

 

[ShallowsNole]

My revised bill sounds a lot like SGB's home - because "Save Our Homes" has kicked in on mine. I am glad that we built when we did. Ours looks like it will actually decrease a tad.

However, the taxes on my brother's unimproved lot, next to my home, increased by a factor of 9. His bill is nothing like what some of you guys have mentioned, but the percentage is frightening.

BTW, whoever mentioned that the schools get part of the bed tax...nope. Marketing and promotion, beach maintenance & renourishment. That's all it can legally be used for.

 

[Kurt]

I wonder if the bed tax will go up 900 percent this year?

 

[ShallowsNole]

Gee thanks Kurt; now I will have nightmares. lol...

 

[Miss Kitty]

Reality bites!

 

[DBOldford]

Our experience is that an appeal usually results in some adjustment downward on the tax bill, even if it is relatively small. When we bought our home here in CA, the tax assessor had the gall to assess it at a higher price than we paid for it! We had always understood that the "worst case" was the home being assessed at the new purchase price, but not so. We appealed and received a significantly lower adjustment. So probably worth the effort to appeal. We have considerable disparity in CA, too. Because we have lived in this home so long, our taxes are one-tenth those of the much smaller home located right next to us on this road; all based on purchase price and controlled by Proposition 13.

Most importantly, a groundswell of expressed concern tends to keep local government in harness. Although a very wealthy County now, Walton keeps threatening increased taxes, including an increase on the bed tax. An increased bed tax will make us less competitive with the new development in Bay County, once it comes online. I remember when the South County was considering splitting from North County or even incorporating, the County stepped up to the plate and provided a significant level of improved services and new County facilities for South County. They do not want to lose that revenue source, obviously. Candidates for office already recognize that they need the South County vote to be elected to office, even though many of the homes are not owner-occupied (voters). We will definitely appeal ours, because we had a substantial increase in property taxes when we purchased our home a little more than three years ago.