During its final meeting of 2017, the Saline County Commission approved an ordinance that will change the date taxes will be levied on newly-constructed homes.
Assessor Jessica Goodman was at the commission meeting on Tuesday, January 2, and explained the taxation period will begin once somebody moves into the home.

Goodman said the property will be taxed beginning on the first of the month after occupancy.

Goodman said the Assessor’s office determines when a home is occupied based on building permits, warranty deeds, utility connections and other official documents.
Goodman said this is going to be beneficial to the community. Prior to this, she said there was no way for the county to aid the family if, for instance, the family’s home was destroyed by a fire. She said there have been several natural disasters hit the state in the last couple of years, and in many of those counties affected, they had the occupancy law in effect. But, she said because some of them didn’t have the ordinance in effect, the homeowners still were on the hook for a full year’s worth of taxes. She said, with this, it allows the county to aid the families who already are going through hard times.