April 30, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
Many DeKalb County landowners may see a change in their property assessments this year.
Assessor of Property Shannon Cantrell said “Change of Assessment” letters are being sent to those affected.
“Change of assessment letters are going out in May because the assessment on your property, whether it be real property or personal property, has either gone up or down. There has been a change so you will get a “change of assessment” notice,” Cantrell told WJLE.
If you don’t agree with your property assessments, Cantrell said you should not wait until you get your tax bill in the fall to try and do something about it. The time to raise concerns is when the DeKalb County Board of Equalization meets in June. Cantrell will be taking appointments for those appeals starting May 21. The Board of Equalization will meet starting Friday, June 1 from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. in the conference room of the Assessor of Property Office at the county complex building.
“Remember once the county board has met then you can no longer appeal locally for the 2018 taxes. I think that’s what catches a lot of people by surprise. They get their tax notice October 1 and that’s what really gets their attention if their taxes have gone up. Then they want to appeal it. But by that time the appeal for 2018 has already passed. We’re in the appeal season now,” said Cantrell.
“What is important to remember is that the county board of equalization normally meets the first week in June and if you would like to appeal your assessment now is the time to do that. Beginning May 21 call our office and make an appointment to meet with the county board of equalization to discuss the assessment on your appraisal,” Cantrell continued.
“It doesn’t have to be that you had a change of assessment this spring. Maybe nothing changed from last year but maybe you weren’t pleased with your assessment last year. Anybody can come and see the county board of equalization,” Cantrell added.
The county commission, during last Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, reappointed Russell Watson, Carl Dwayne Webb, Doyle Evans, Jimmy Goad, and Jim Davies to serve on the five member board and Joel Hooker will be an alternate. The commission also adopted a resolution requiring members of the equalization board to attend training in Cookeville on May 16 before they begin meeting in June.
Until 2014, the equalization board was made up of seven members, one from each district of the county. But under state law, there can be no more than five members. According to Tennessee Code Annotated (state law) “The county legislative body of each county shall, at the April session of each even year, from the different sections of the county, elect, for a term of two (2) years, five (5) freeholders and taxpayers who shall constitute a county board of equalization.”
Based on population, the City of Smithville can have one member on the board. Russell Watson has been serving in that position.
According to state law, county equalization boards across the state are to meet each year on June 1 (or the next business day if the 1st falls on Saturday or Sunday). The county board is authorized by law to receive and hear appeals of current year property tax assessments as fixed by the county assessor of property. Generally an assessment must be appealed to the county board of equalization to preserve the taxpayer’s right to further appeal.