Board of equalization continues to hear valuation protests, consider corrections

​YORK COUNTY – The month of July always includes the process of valuation protests and this July has certainly been packed with these hearings before the county’s board of equalization.

​About 170 valuation protests have been filed in York County, which is a substantially higher amount than seen in recent history.
This past week, the York County Commissioners, sitting as the board of equalization, heard dozens of valuation protests as property owners questioned the increases they saw this year.
The county board does not set valuations but it is tasked with equalization meaning the job at hand is making sure values are equal among similar properties/property types in York County.
Some argued farmland valuations are 14-17% higher than farmland in neighboring counties like Seward and Hamilton.
Others brought forward “environmental impacts” – impacts created by things such as electrical substations on what used to be their property due to eminent domain, water contamination created by plumes from other sources and nearby agricultural operations they do not own.
One property owner questioned property valuation given to a portable calving shed on skids, as it is not a permanent structure. There were questions about instructions from the state department of revenue to value these types of sheds as real property versus personal property.
A residential property owner in York expressed his concern about a house he just bought – saying he purchased it and then days later received a valuation notice saying the property doubled in value.
Commissioner Daniel Grotz, sitting as the chairman of the board of equalization, reminded the crowd how property taxes are determined by levies, which are set by all the different taxing entities in the county.
And others offered up corrected information about their properties with the assessor’s office agreeing to do onsite visits before the next meeting of the board of equalization.
Assessor Kurt Bulgrin also presented his over/under report which showed a reduction of $2,217,313 in county valuation due to corrections made with his office, after receiving corrected information from property owners. Most of these were based on corrected age and grade of properties, bin conditions, bathroom counts and building removals. Over the course of the last few meetings of the board of equalization, about $5 million was already trimmed in overall valuation due to these types of corrections made with the assessor’s office. Bulgrin said he wants to remind property owners to notify his office any time they remove a building or bin or make changes to their properties which will alter their valuations.
On Thursday, July 10, the board met again, to hear more protest hearings, view filings from protestors who would not be appearing in person and going back to make decisions regarding earlier protests.
During Thursday's meeting, there was extensive conversation about whether or not land valuations in the county's villages were "unfairly and overly inflated due to lack of sales," as termed by Commissioner Andy Bowman. That also created conversation as to how a handful of lots could be lowered in value because the owners filed protests and others would remain at the assessor's recommended increases.
It should be noted each protest filed by each owner is considered individually.
Commissioner Randy Obermier, in discussion with the rest of the board, recognized factors in this year's valuation increases are the current manual and coming into compliance with state requirements. "This year is going to be tough but I don't see big situations coming in the future after this. But yes, this year is tough."