Your American dream becomes your worst nightmare. That was the title of an opinion column from Kent Carlson we published in CITYVIEW this month about recently announced property tax increases. Kent is your stereotypical, conservative, anti-tax guy, so I expected this from him. Then I received my assessment, and I realized I am right there with him.
Kent pointed out how the term “American Dream” was coined by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, James Truslow Adams, in 1931. His dream was simple: “Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” Kent stated that, for many Americans, a piece of that dream includes home ownership.
Kent wrote how local government “is in a unique position to not only cash in on the escalating value of your property but create the assessed value that determines their take. And the key word is take. After all, you are the inadvertent benefactor... NOT the fortunate beneficiary of their valuations. The net financial result of their efforts is a fine in the form of property tax they levy at their discretion.” Maybe you can relate.
I recently received a note from a concerned homeowner in a nearby county who told me the assessed value of his home went up $100,000. He said he challenged the assessment, and five people came out to look at the home and grounds. He shared that they never even went to the lower level, and most stood looking out the window, telling him what a nice view he had. They left his home, and the assessment did not change.
The letter I received from the assessor’s office stated that our simple, little townhome that we just purchased 14 months ago had a 27% increase in assessed value, which was a steep jump from what we just paid for it. I would gladly sell it to the government for what they are assessing it at.
As Kent points out, “You aren’t worth a nickel more after the assessor’s valuation than you were before, but you will be forced to fill their coffers with real cash from the imaginary numbers they created. They attempt to make you feel better by telling you how much your property has appreciated, but unless you sell that piece of your American Dream, it’s a moot point.”
According to Bryon Tack, the chief deputy for the Polk County Assessor's Office, the AVERAGE property assessment increases are 22%, the highest percentage increase to residential properties in the history of Polk County.
Will you protest your assessment and hope to get some relief? Try to sell your home for what the government thinks it is worth? Or stay put, shut your mouth and pay it? Shoot me a note and share your experiences with your American dream.
Have a thoughtful Thursday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com
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