We have been given “no change” in our property tax revaluation. We followed all the information provided to us for conducting our appeal. The result was frustrating and humiliating. It was like studying for a final exam in Physics only to show up for a test in Organic Chemistry.

I stayed to witness the appeals on Tuesday morning. Yes, I heard the chairwoman, more than once, tell other board members to vote no change or else they would be have to pay the taxes if a mistake was revealed. Yes, I heard the chairwoman tell the other board members that if they changed one property owner’s value they would have to change them all, us being in a subdivision. And, yes, I heard the county attorney tell Mary Dill she should move if she was unhappy with her tax situation. Honestly, how is that helpful and appropriate?

To avoid similar problems in the future I suggest the tax office supply to those appealing a detailed honest account of all of the facts that were used to raise our taxes including time frames, neighborhoods, and comparable sales. I also suggest the appeal meetings be recorded or videoed in their entirety to remind all in attendance that they can be held accountable for all they say and do and to provide more detail in the minutes. The minutes as they are taken now are little more than “here’s who showed up and here’s what was decided.”

Thank you for all you have done to help the citizens of Polk County during this troubling tax revaluation period. I hope you will be able to address the issues we went through as we tried to follow the steps of the appeal process. Feel free to contact me if you want any more details of our experience with the Board of Equalization and Review.

Sincerely,

Karen Day, Green Creek Township