The State of Ohio has ordered property values to be increased in Ross County, according to County Auditor Tom Spetnagel. Ohio law requires the county auditor to reappraise all real estate within the county every six yearsand to report his or her findings to the state department of taxation for final review.
Although the results of the 2019 reappraisal show real estate values increasing over the last six years, Spetnagelwants to reassure nervous property owners: “Due toreductions written into the law, your tax bill will not increase at the same rate as your value. While everyonewill see some increase from the newly voted Park District levy, the overall change will depend greatly on where you live and what the market for homes is there.”
The state-ordered increase is due to a strong real estate market in the Scioto Valley over the last six years, as evidenced by buyers paying well above the Auditor’s value for homes during that time.
“We know that buyers have been willing to pay more for homes, but we had hoped to phase in the increase over time. The state has overruled us on that and said that our values must come up now,” Spetnagel said.
The first tax bills using the new valuations will be mailed out in January, but property owners are able to preview their new value now on the Auditor’s website at www.rosscountyohio.gov/auditor/. Once tax bills are mailed out, property owners will have until March 31, 2020 to file a formal appeal with the county’s Board of Revision.
Despite advancements in technology, the auditor’s staff still goes out to visit each property. “Even if you do not remember ever seeing someone at your house, a county appraiser did physically go out and take pictures,” Spetnagel said.
The pictures are used to confirm the age and condition of the home, as well as the square footage. Using sales data, the appraisers then determine how the market has changed in your neighborhood to determine how much your value should change.
Spetnagel noted that despite the jump in residential values, agricultural land values are set to decrease because of changes in the state’s current agricultural use value (CAUV) program. Agricultural land values are dropping by 30% on average, which may provide some tax relief to farmers who have been dealing with heavy rainfall and decreased crop production.