Speak Up: Levy Court hears about upcoming property reassessment
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No one wants to pay more in property taxes. But as Paul Miller — Tyler Technologies’ Eastern Region sales lead representative — said Tuesday, the purpose of reassessing property values and subsequent changes to taxes is to create a fairer system more in line with the law. Levy Court awarded a more-than-$4 million contract to Tyler Technologies in early June to complete the reassessment. The Texas-based company also is handling Sussex County’s reassessment, at the cost of $9 million.
Doesn’t Delaware have some kind of provision in the laws (because the counties have failed to do reassessments over the past several decades) that requires the tax rates to be adjusted after a reassessment, so that there shouldn’t be much of an increase? — Brian P. Slattery
You would think, with all the building going on in Delaware, our taxes would go down. But no, they are greedy. — Laura Wing
They aren’t going down because all those new houses are being assessed at values way below what they sell for. An example: Someone paid $124,000 for a house in 2007, but the “assessed value” in the county’s systems (which are what they base your property taxes on) right now is only $32,000, so those multimillion-dollar beach homes are not being taxed at anywhere near their market value. And what’s even more ironic about the situation is that the counties (as well as many municipalities) boast about how they haven’t increased property taxes. — Brian P. Slattery
My property taxes went up 64% in 10 years. Is that a fair system? — Tom Small
There is one other way, and that is if you had construction done to your house through a permit. Reassessment is automatic when you get a permit. Reassessment is automatic when you get a permit. — Jody Sweeney
So, here’s the reality, the schools and counties will see an increase in revenue. The question is what will those in charge do with it? My guess is nothing significant. It’s like you getting a $20 a week pay raise. Maybe now you go out to dinner one more time a month or buy some paint. It’s not enough to really change your life, but you can do more than you did before. — Kevin McCarthy
That is not the reality. The reality is, and the law is, that Kent County Levy Court cannot see an increase in revenue due to a reassessment. — Jody Sweeney
