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St. Louis County properties not added to tax rolls cost others money - TwinCities.com Page 1 of 6 St. Louis County properties not added to tax rolls cost others money By Brandon Stahl Duluth News Tribune TwinCities.com- Pioneer Press Posted: TwinCities.com A $240,700 building on resort property near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Voyageurs National Park. A $559,800 four - season lake cabin that rents for $5,250 a week in Cook, surrounded by state forest and with stunning views of Lake Vermilion. A $439,000 addition to the Ziegler Caterpillar Dealership in Buhl. What do those three buildings have in common? They, like hundreds of others in St. Louis County - homes, garages, barns, cabins, campers and businesses - went for years either off the tax rolls or significantly undervalued, a News Tribune investigation has found. Because of that, the rest of the county's property owners paid more in taxes than they should have, possibly by hundreds to thousands of dollars. A News Tribune analysis of St. Louis County property records and audits found that building projects worth at least $16 million either weren't taxed for nine years or were appraised for much less than their actual worth. But the actual number is far higher. Records the county provided to the newspaper include hundreds of other properties that were undervalued or weren't taxed at all. The News Tribune also has learned that the State Department of Revenue is investigating whether an assessor in St. Louis County did not include 51 other parcels worth an estimated $4.2 million on the tax rolls. "There is no excuse for this," said Mark Monacelli, the St. Louis County public records and property evaluation director, who oversees the assessment process in the county. "It's disturbing." For years, Monacelli and the county assessor's department have been aware of the problems with the allegedly missed assessments, the county recorder said. After several attempts to solve the problem, the county formed a blue - ribbon panel to address it. But though the county is responsible for how assessments are done, officials have little oversight over the independent assessors hired by small cities and townships. Among the News Tribune's findings: Appraisals and inspections allegedly were conducted of properties that didn't exist. Following reviews beginning in 2010, the State Department of Revenue ordered the county to reassess five townships and hundreds of properties because their values were too low - meaning other taxpayers were paying too much. http:// www .twincities.com/localnews /ci_ 20264312 /st- louis- county - properties- not - added -t... 11/19/2012