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Geauga auditor expects tax-revision requests
(by Joan Demirjian - February 03, 2010)
Geauga auditor expects tax-revision requests
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
The Geauga County Auditor's Office is bracing for an influx of property owners seeking revisions of their real estate valuations.
"I'm expecting a lot of requests because of the economy and because people aren't working," Geauga County Auditor Frank Gliha said of those who will be looking for lower valuations.
The economy has a lot to do with it, Mr. Gliha said of the trend to seek re-evaluations. He predicted that the requests will be slightly more in 2010 than in 2009.
"New car sales are down, people aren't buying as much as they wanted to or need to, and they're watching their expenses," he said. "The money for the county in sales taxes alone is down 6.6 percent from 2009."
The auditor's office also is conducting real estate re-evaluations for 2008, 2009 and 2010, Mr. Gliha said. "We will complete re-evaluations of every property in the county by the end of 2010." Every house in the county has been looked at and reviewed, he said.
A consulting group, Ankney Inc., of Dayton, was hired by the county to do the work. There were four people out every day working on the evaluations during 2009. "It's a huge task," Mr. Gliha said.
Geauga County also has a pictometry system, using aerial photography, which allows it to look at every house and compare it to when the last fly-by occurred in 2008, he said. "It allows us to keep track of all properties in the county. A fly-by is done every other year, starting in March when the snow is usually gone."
The auditor's office plans to be ready with its evaluation abstract by October 2011, he said.
"The state validates our values. Our challenge is to have the best property values for the residents," Mr. Gliha said. "We'll know by 2011 what the re-evaluations will be in 2012."
Property owners who disagree with their valuations can dispute them at the county's board of revisions hearings. Forms are on the auditor's Web site.
"If a resident has a concern or feels they have a legitimate complaint, they should talk to us," Mr. Gliha said.
Requests for re-evaluations are taken between Jan. 1 and March 31. If a homeowner believes houses in the surrounding area are selling for lower prices, that information should be brought to the county, he said.
The board of revision's review meetings are public. The three-person board includes Mr. Gliha, Geauga County Treasurer Christopher Hitchcock and a Geauga County commissioner. Commissioner Mary Samide will serve on the next review.
Mr. Hitchcock said property owners should make their requests to be heard by March 31.
"We can change the value of a person's home by looking at sales in the neighborhood. We ask questions, and we determine the value. It's very straightforward," he said.
Property owners can go on the county Web site for information on a neighborhood's values.
At last year's hearing, 79 percent of those seeking revisions of real-estate taxes received some reduction.
An example of some homeowners who were able to obtain reduced values include the homes where methane gas seeped from a gas well into water wells in the English Drive area in Bainbridge. "They had their values reduced, Mr. Gliha said. "They truly are damaged there and have to bring in water. We're trying to help the residents."
He urged those thinking about seeking revisions to be prepared with comparables and an analysis of neighboring properties. The auditor's Web site can be accessed to see what surrounding houses have sold for, he said.
"Property values will remain the same as they were in 2009," Mr. Gliha said.
However, Ohio House Bill 920 ensures that voted levies will continue to generate the same amount of taxes as when they originally were approved by voters.
For example, he said, "It guarantees that local school districts continue to receive their fair share of the levy revenue."
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