Assessment efforts moving forward
IN THE CITY
As another year comes to a close we in the Assessing Department would like to give an update on what we have been up to lately and say thank you to all who have contributed to our mission.
Many residents have supported our goal of updating the assessment records at City Hall by allowing us in for quarterly inspection purposes. We do thank you and appreciate your cooperation. We also appreciate your opinions and comments that are shared. While the message is common, the delivery can be wide ranging and we respect your honesty. I believe we have found the one item that everyone agrees on.
All said, some 285 properties were visited for these quarterly inspections between September 1 and December 17 with the purpose of ensuring each property is accurately listed in our assessment records. In order to achieve our goal of equitable assessments, we must first know that the information the assessments are based on is accurate.
The following information is generalized and based on averages. It is not specific to any one property and is based on the current method of calculating value:
Of the 285 properties visited: changes were made to our listings on 139 or 49 percent; and 51 percent remained unchanged.
Of the 139 properties that changes were made to: the value of 90 was increased by an average of $5,554; and the value of 49 was decreased by an average of $14,691.
By percentage, of the 139 properties that changes were made to: 65 percent will increase in valuation; and 35 percent will decrease in valuation.
Overall the total amount assessed increased by $64,000 after 285 property inspections.
We expect the same trends to continue as we move forward with this process in 2016. The results we have achieved so far are very encouraging to us as assessors, in that while we find that we can improve equity through this quarterly inspection process, we also find that the current records have been well maintained and are not overly out of sync with reality. Our goal during this quarterly inspection process is not to increase values, but to ensure equity in our assessments, between and within the various classes of properties.
Overall, the current average assessment ratio in Presque Isle is 92% as determined by Maine Revenue Service. They also have determined that the average selling price of property in Presque Isle is $114,184. This means that on average we currently assess the $114,184 property at $105,049. Our goal is to get into the 95 – 96% range. To achieve this goal, we will need to make adjustments to the way our computerized assessing system calculates value in the near future. The different classes of property will need to be adjusted individually to better hone our assessments based on size, age, construction quality, and condition. This process is separate and different than the quarterly inspection process currently underway.
The other immediate priority we have in the assessing office is to make our maps and assessing records available online. We hope to have the initial rollout no later than March 2016 and will be using the digitized maps very graciously created by the GIS Laboratory at UMPI under the direction of Dr. Wang. These maps will be the basis of our entire digital offering and are an invaluable component. Through this effort we will be able to fulfill the requests of many who currently have to come to City Hall to find the information they need.
Another item of news affecting property values is that the Maine Legislature did increase the Homestead Exemption to $15,000 for 2016 and $20,000 for 2017. Presque Isle residents will receive the full $15,000 reduction in 2016. While this will have a slight impact on the city mil rate it will help each qualified homeowner by reducing the amount of their assessment. The current reduction has been $9,700 in Presque Isle.
In closing, did you notice that nowhere in this entire article, which is full of assessing information, did you read the T-word? That’s because this office has the sole responsibility of maintaining accurate records and assessing the value of the property in Presque Isle in accordance with its market value. We do not create taxes in this office.
We invite every property owner to stop in to review their property records here at City Hall, have a chat with us, and ask any related questions that you may be concerned about. We also look forward to seeing you soon for the purpose of ensuring that your property is assessed accurately and equitably.
Lewis Cousins is Presque Isle’s assessor. He can be reached at 760-2714 or via email at lcousins@presqueisleme.us.
