March?7,?2013?? There was a lot of talk of property taxes and the assessment of real estate in the House as well as elsewhere in the Capitol on Wednesday. It all stared with House Bill 2585, which was on its third reading.
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Delegate Tim Miley explained the bill before it went to vote. ?
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?The title of the bill pretty much explains what the bill does. This bill increases the time from five days to eight business days, within which one has to file a petition for appeal upon receiving a notice of increased assessment. This bill was agreed to by the lead sponsor and the Assessors Association. I urge passage of the bill,? said Miley.
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With no discussion or debate on the House floor, House Bill 2585 passed with a 99 to 0 vote. Shortly thereafter the conversation about property taxes continued, as House Minority Leader Tim Armstead spoke about House Bill 2840, which he introduced Wednesday.
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That bill would allow a property owner to submit an independent appraisal of their property to the assessor. It also provides that the assessor bear the burden of proof to show that the value of the independent appraisal is incorrect before the board of equalization and review. The board would also be forced to assess the property based on the independent appraisal if deemed appropriate.
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?I have great confidence in our assessors, but I do think that it is unfair to basically presume that they are always right in every assessment and that the taxpayer has to meet this very onerous and substantial burden to overcome that,? said Armstead.
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?So, this bill is now introduced as 2840 and I hope that the Judiciary and the Finance committees will take a look at this and I?m hoping that this year we can do something to make this process much more fair,? he added.?? ?
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Delegate Suzette Raines of Kanawha County expressed her gratitude for the passage of House Bill 2585. But, she said, it?s just a small part of a much needed comprehensive solution to issues related to property taxes.
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?I have received phone calls from constituents who had received notices of increased assessments in my district. So, I promptly went to the County Commission to hear those that were going to protest. The County Assessor was also present and they were able to work out the disputes at that time,? said Raines.
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?So, I was very encouraged to see that happen. In our statute, prior to the bill that we passed today, it said five days?not business days, not calendar days. So, I?m glad to see we?ve taken that step of action to clarify that and allow eight business days for taxpayers. So, I really think that?s a step in the right direction to provide some relief, but I really look forward to working towards a more comprehensive effort.?
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The discussion of property taxes and assessments didn?t end on the House floor. After the floor session, members of the House of Delegates attended an event held in the lower rotunda. Delegate Doug Skaff, also of Kanawha County, continued the conversation and said issues related to property taxes are a growing problem around the state.
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?I agree. Property tax is a way of life. We have to pay it. We don?t deny that. But, we must look at reforming our system to make sure it?s fair, it?s equal, and it?s balanced regardless of where you live; regardless of where you do business,? said Skaff.
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?The bottom line is we don?t have a problem with paying our share of property taxes But, you can?t ask a small business owner to pay an extra 200 percent this year and pay his employees. Times are tough. Times are tough for all of us. Don?t kick us while we?re down,? he said.
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House Bill 2585, which increases the amount of time a property owner has to file a petition in response to an increased assessment, will be handed over to the Senate.
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House Bill 2840, which deals with independent appraisals and establishing a burden of proof in related cases, was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.?
Source: http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=28991
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