FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION BY HOMEOWNERS:
I do not understand why my taxes have increased so much in the last few years.

ANSWER:
There are a number of reasons why taxes increase. A tax increase may be attributable to additional
millages which are voted on by the general public. The Assessors office does not have any control
over the millage increases or millages levied by the public bodies. However an increase of five mills
for example will raise the tax liability of a $150,000 home by $37.50. A millage rate increase from
125 mills to 130 mills would equate to a tax increase on that $150,000 home from $937.50 to $975.00.

Obviously increases in property values will cause tax liability to increase. The law mandates that
each Assessor must reappraise real estate at least every four years. As you can see from the
example cited below, relatively small to moderate increases in value as a result of reappraisal or
additional property purchases can result in large increases in tax liability. The example cited
below is an actual assessment from my office. As can be seen from this example property values
and property taxes do not proportionately relate to each other.