By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com
Floyd and Henrietta Prock don’t understand why the appraised value of their Joplin home has increased by 23 percent.
Ron Brewer is even more befuddled by the 16-percent jump for his Carl Junction home.
But reports of such tax-appraisal gyrations have not been uncommon, especially in recent years in Jasper County.
Property reassessment has just been completed this year in Missouri, and despite a national economic downturn with home values at its core, Jasper County property owners, once again, are lining up to protest to the county’s Board of Equalization.
More than 140 appointments have been made thus far for the board, which hears appeals when property owners aren’t satisfied with values set in reassessment. The Jasper County panel will meet, starting at 9:30 a.m. today, and sessions to date are scheduled through July 17.
In Jasper County, notices of higher values were sent on 7,835 properties, which is just more than 13 percent of the approximately 59,400 parcels in the county.
Comparison
In contrast, notices of higher values were mailed to 1,567 properties in Newton County, just more than 5 percent of the county’s approximately 29,300 total parcels.
The sessions begin a week later in Newton County, and 13 appeals are scheduled, according to the county clerk’s office, where the appointments are made.
Lisa Perry, administrative assistant to Jasper County Assessor Don Davis, said last week that many changes already have been made as a result of informal meetings between property owners and the assessor’s office.
“We’re working to get all the letters out to tell people what’s (reductions in appraisals) been done,” she said. “I hope people will wait until they get our letters before they decide if they’re going to appeal to the board. I’ve seen some signed up, and I know they haven’t gotten the changes.”
Perry answered reassessment questions in the absence of Davis, who was on vacation last week. Davis did not seek re-election last year; his term ends Sept. 1, when he will be succeeded by Connie Alumbaugh-Hoover.
Individual cases
In the case of the Procks, the assessor’s office is assigning a $70,470 market value on the two-bedroom, one-bath property at 302 McConnell Ave.
Prock said his home previously was valued at $57,250, and that no houses in his neighborhood would bring a price close to the new appraisal.
He points to a house for sale just across the street, with a homemade sign that reads “$49,000 or best offer.”
“Both have two lots, but that house has an upstairs,” he said.
The price tag is higher, but the argument is the same for Brewer, 403 Sunnybrook Lane, Carl Junction.
The assessor’s office put the market value of Brewer’s home at $309,580 — originally an 18-percent increase. The assessor trimmed the value to $304,710 after Brewer lodged an informal appeal.
Brewer said he and his wife bought their home in late 2006, and paid $262,000. He said one house across the street is on the market for $189,900.
“It’s a little smaller than ours, but another house close to us is bigger, with a pool, and they (the assessor’s office) reduced the value to $299,000,” he said.
Perry said the assessor’s office changed the valuation of Brewer’s home, based on corrected information he provided on the square footage of the property. But, she said, the office had no information the sale price of Brewer’s home.
“Lots of states require sale prices to be disclosed, but Missouri doesn’t,” she said. “It puts assessors at a disadvantage when you’re trying to estimate market value.”
Perry said changes in the value of Prock’s home noted the construction of an asphalt driveway that had not been included in earlier appraisals.
Prock, age 86, said he built the house himself in 1949, but had made no improvements in recent years.
“There’s work that needs to be done, but we can’t afford it,” said Henrietta Prock.
She worked as a hairdresser, before retiring three years ago. Prock retired earlier, after work as a building engineer for the Joplin school system, and earlier, in the parts department at R&S; Chevrolet.
Henrietta Prock said paying their health insurance premiums takes about half of their retirement income.
“And utilities keep going higher and higher,” she said. “If we couldn’t get his prescriptions from the VA (Veterans Affairs), I don’t know what we’d do,” she said.
Perry said the Procks could qualify for tax-credit programs available through the state.
Missouri offers a Homestead Preservation Credit for qualified senior citizens and disabled residents if their taxes increase by more than 5 percent in a reassessment year, but the Legislature must appropriate money to fund the credit. Older, lower-income homeowners and renters also can get back a share of taxes paid through the Missouri Property Tax Credit Program.
Last time around
Counties are to reassess properties each odd-numbered year and to bring values to within 5 percent of market value.
In 2007 in Jasper County, the assessor's office was flooded with appeals after notices of higher property values were mailed. The office received 4,061 appeals and made changes to figures for all but about 542 of the properties. Davis had said the 2007 reassessment was the first full-scale review of county properties after computer problems limited the efforts in 2003 and 2005.
Values assigned on about 800 of the properties in the 2007 reassessment ultimately were appealed to the Board of Equalization. The board estimated that it made changes in value on about 60 percent of the properties that were considered.
Actions in response to the appeals trimmed the value of residential property in the county from just over $1 billion to just over $990 million.
State appeals
Property owners not satisfied with the decision of a county’s Board of Equalization may appeal to the State Tax Commission, or to circuit court.
