Why won’t my taxes always decrease if my property value is going down?
Proposal A allowed many residents to pay property taxes on less than half of their market value by "capping" the Taxable Value, while still allowing the assessor to determine the market value by adjusting the SEV. This has caused, for many property owners, a great disparity between the SEV figure and the Taxable Value figure. The assessor can reduce the SEV to reflect the change in property value, but if the Taxable Value is still well below the SEV, it will change by the inflation rate until the two figures meet. Taxes are based on Taxable Value; therefore, you may end up with a tax increase if there is a positive inflation rate.

Show All Answers

1. When are my taxes due?
2. Can I access my tax account online?
3. I need a copy of a paid receipt. Where can I get one?
4. Who receives the funds from my summer and winter tax bills?
5. How do I make an address change for the tax bill?
6. What do the terms Assessed Value, State Equalized Value and Taxable Value mean on my Notice of Assessment?
7. How does the Assessor determine my Assessed Value?
8. What determines the Taxable Value?
9. What other factors would cause an increase in my taxes?
10. Property values in my neighborhood have been decreasing. Will my property valuation be decreasing as well?
11. Does this mean I’ll have to pay more property taxes instead of less?
12. Why won’t my taxes always decrease if my property value is going down?
13. Will my taxes ever go down?
14. What are some of the disadvantages about the Proposal A legislation?
15. What is the Principal Residence Exemption?
16. Can I contest my Assessed Value and Taxable?
17. What is a mill and, if I don’t have access to the internet, how can I determine my tax amount?
18. What are my payment options? Can I pay online or by phone? Can I pay with credit card, or debit card or e-check?
19. Is there assistance for my water bill?