04/13/2009 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Anoka County City of Lino Lakes Reassessment State Statute reads: "All real property subject to taxation shall be listed and reassessed every year with reference to its value on January 2nd preceding the assessment." This has been done, and the owners of property in Blaine have been notified of any value change. Minnesota Statute 273.11 reads: "All property shall be valued at its market value." It further states that "In estimating and determining such value, the Assessor shall not adopt a lower or different standard of value because the same is to serve as a basis for taxation, nor shall the assessor adopt as a criterion of value the price for which such property would sell at auction or at a forced sale, or in the aggregate with all the property in the town or district; but the assessor shall value each article or description of property by itself, and at such sum or price as the assessor believes the same to be fairly worth in money." The Statute says all property shall be valued at market value, not may be valued at market value. This means that no factors other than market factors should affect the Assessor's value and the subsequent action by the Board of Appeal and Equalization. Authority of the Local Board of Appeal and Equalization Assessments of property are made to provide the means for the measuring of the relative share of each taxpayer in meeting the costs of local government. It is the duty of the Assessor to assess all real and personal property except that which is exempt or taxable under some special method of taxation. If the burden of local government is to be fairly and justly shared among the owners of all property of value, it is necessary that all taxable property be listed on the tax rolls and that all assessments be made accurately. Whenever any property that should be assessed is omitted from the tax rolls, an unfair burden falls upon the owners of all property that has been assessed. If any property is undervalued in relation to the other property on the assessment record, the owners of the other property are called upon automatically to assume part of the tax burden that should be borne by the undervalued property. Fairness and justice in property taxation demands both completeness and equality in assessment. Minnesota Statutes Section 274.01 provides that the council of each city shall be or appoint a Board of Appeal and Equalization. The charter of certain cities provides for the establishment of a Board of Equalization. The provisions of Section 274.01 and this regulation apply to all Boards of Appeal or Boards of Equalization. The 2003 Legislature enacted State Statute 274.014 which requires that there be at least one member at each meeting of a Local Board of Appeal and Equalization who has attended an appeals and equalization course developed or approved by the Commissioner of Revenue within the last four years. Section 274.01 states the county assessor shall fix a date for each Board of Appeal and Equalization to meet for the purpose of reviewing the assessment of property in its respective town or city. The county assessor is required to serve written notice to the clerk of each of such bodies on or before February 15th of each year. These meetings are required to be held between April 1st and May 31st; and the clerk of the Board of Appeal and Equalization is required to give published and posted notice at least ten days before the date set for the first meeting. 9