Abby Nadeau
Staff Writer

With some property values increasing well over 30 percent from last year, Forest Lake residents and business owners are becoming concerned.

Over 40 people attended the board of equalization meeting on Monday, May 1 to appeal the recent property appraisals done by Washington County.

Each concerned citizen was given several minutes to approach the city council and county assessors and discuss their believed inaccuracies of the newly assessed land value.

Many of the citizens were alarmed by the percent increase their property value jumped from previous years, but others believed their land was over assessed compared to surrounding buildings.

Residential Land

David Johnson, at 955 SE 13th Ave., gave the council visual aids of his residential property in which he compared his land to those around him.

ìIím looking for an explanation why Iím paying more for my land than my neighbors,î Johnson said. ìSome of their properties have actually decreased.î

He went on to describe how in 2005 his property land value was $234,800 and now it is valued at $649,000 for 2007.

Since council members did not, and could not, review each property, many people were directed to the county to have an assessor review the property.

However, Mayor Terry Smith offered Johnson another explanation.

ìPart of the system is computerized,î Smith said. ìThere very well could be mistakes.î

While the idea of computer inaccuracies is possible, Washington County Director of Assessment Taxpayer Services and Elections Kevin Corbid noted that if property owners have a concern, they should first talk with the county.

ìIf someone is concerned, they should make sure the county has the correct information,î Corbid said. ìWe use computerized tools to evaluate 100,000 parcels in county. But it is the role of the appraiser to physically look at the land and make sure we analyze the area correctly. If residents are concerned they need to speak with the county.î

Mark Wilde, who owns land on North Shore Trail, felt his value was too high considering his land has an easement running through it and a csewer lift station.

In the past Wildeís land value was lower because of the city lift station, which backs up and causes occasional flooding.

Wilde was simply told to make an appointment with a county assessor.

Council member Susan Young pointed out that just because an assessor from the county would review the land, didnít mean the property value would decrease.

ìIf an assessor comes out to the property there is no guarantee the payment will go down,î Young said.

Commercial Land

Commercial property owners also attended the meeting to protest their increased land value.

Several owners compared their land values to big businesses like Menards, Target and Wal-Mart.

Matt McCarron, of McCarron Lumber, passed out a folder of information to each council member in which he compared his land to surrounding buildings, including Menards.

ìThis year alone my property has gone up 34.7 percent and over the last five years it has gone up 150 percent,î McCarron said. ìMy building was built in 1970 and I pay $47 a square foot. Menards was built in 1998 and pays $38.16. It looks like there is favoritism toward Menards.î

Diane Hoey, who owns two vacant lots near Helping Hands in the industrial park, stated her land was being assessed on the same level of Wal-Mart and Target.

Hoey said she believed the land is not developable because of the soil and that her property is not even comparable to the big businesses surrounding her.

The council explained that she should speak with the county to have an assessor review the land again.

Hoey said she had spoken with someone from the county and was told they would not change the assessed value.

She ended up making another appointment with the county to review the land.

After Eleanor McGowan, who owns a business at 23804 North Lake Blvd, off of Highway 8, spoke to the council about her percentage land increase.

McGowan claims that the increase is over 100 percent. Council members directed her to speak with a county assessor and thanked her for coming.

Her reply was that, ìIf I didnít show up I felt you might think this was all okay,î McGowan said. ìBut itís not.î

Although residents were directed to speak with a county assessor, many already had, several times.

Timothy Rosk, submitted his own information to the council and stated he has met with a county assessor.

Rosk said he had an increased rate of 28 percent and after speaking with the assessor, nothing changed.

Since Rosk disagrees with the countyís assessment he was advised to appeal the findings with the county board.

Why the Increase?

Corbid noted that land has increased in the Forest Lake area for three main reasons.

One reason is that property bordering water it still in high demand.

ìWhile the market is slowing for land locked property, water property is becoming a fine item,î Corbid said, ìand itís still rising.î

Another reason for property value increases is simply the general growth of the area.

ìThe general growth of Washington County is increasing at 2 percent per year,î Corbid said.

One of the other big reasons for a slight jump in land value has been the sale of vacant land.

ìDevelopers are buying up vacant land and are about to develop it,î Corbid said. ìThere is a growth in developments that is causing a rise in property value.î

Some residents believe that the increase is due to the county making up for the previous assessor.

Just over a year ago the city hired Washington County to assess the cityís land, discontinuing the use of its own city assessor.

Corbid said that he only found ìpockets of property that were under assessedî and that on some occasions the information in the system was not up to date.

ìTo say that we are playing catch-up is just not correct,î Corbid said. ìProperty tax is not easily understood and part of our job is to explain to property owners how it works. We will explain to the homeowners how property values change. î

The Next Step

Over 40 people made their first appeal to the assessment of their property at the meeting.

The county has two weeks, as of May 1, to visit each parcel and review the land.

ìWeíll meet with the property owner and review the land,î Corbid said. ìThen weíll make a recommendation to the council to either change the value or keep it the same. The council will have a vote in that meeting.î

The board of equalization will meet again at city hall on Monday, May 15 at 5:30 p.m. to review the new findings of the 40 properties.

If the owner still disputes the findings of the assessor they will then be directed to the county board.

Forest Lake property owners have until Friday, May 19 to report to the county board and notify them of their intentions to appeal.

ìWe ask people to notify the county board so they are prepared to review the land,î Corbid said.

If the property owner is still not satisfied, the next step is to make an appeal to the Minnesota Tax Court.

However, if property owners have not appealed the findings at the local level, they cannot appeal to the county board.

Unsatisfied property owners who did not appeal on the local level must appeal directly to the Minnesota Tax Court.

For more information or questions call the Washington County Assessment Division at 651-430-6175 and ask to speak with an assessor working in the Forest Lake area.

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