Cherokee, Forsyth property tax appeals down
Homeowners in Cherokee and Forsyth counties have appealed their property tax valuations at a much lower rate than the year before, a surprising development for county officials.
The number of property tax returns mailed early by homeowners contesting the values of their homes set by tax assessors is noticeably down from last year. An assessment determines the amount of taxes a homeowner pays.
A week before the April 1 return deadline, Cherokee County has received fewer than 750.
“Last year, being the first big year of the recession, we had about 4,000 people,” said Cherokee Tax Assessor John Adams, who received those appeals prior to April 1.
Forsyth was busier than Cherokee, but still showed signs of slowing, said county Assessor Mary Kirkpatrick said.
“The total we had last year was 5,142 by April 1,” she said. As of last Tuesday, her office had received only 1,825 returns, with maybe 300 more from new subdivisions waiting to be entered.
“We were really surprised,” Kirkpatrick said. “Right now, it looks slower than last year.”
During the growth years, Cherokee and Forsyth counties would receive several hundred returns a year. As housing prices fell, interest in appeals went up from homeowners looking to save tax dollars.
Adams and Kirkpatrick speculated the drop in returns this year has been caused by homeowners previously filing appeals or perhaps waiting for new valuations.
New assessments will be mailed in late April and May. Every homeowner in Cherokee gets one. Only homeowners whose values change in Forsyth receive an assessment. They can appeal their valuations 45 days after the assessments are mailed to them.
That also is a critical time for county governments and school boards. When assessments are finished, county commissioners and school board members receive their first hard budget estimates. Like most agencies that depend on taxes, they expect shortfalls from last year.
About the Author
Christopher Quinn is a writer and editor who has worked for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1999. He writes stories on Veterans Affairs, business including high-tech growth in metro Atlanta, Georgia's $72 billion farm economy, and he oversees assigning and editing news obituaries.
