During a meeting of the Saline County Commission earlier this year, Assessor Jessica Adcock Goodman announced that assessments for properties were likely to go up.

County residents have started receiving their assessment notices in the mail, and some might be in shock. Some residents have reported an increase in assessed valuation of 20, 30 or 50 percent, and even some more than 100 percent of their property’s previous assessed valuation.

Goodman says her office has fielded numerous questions, including “why did my value increase?”

Goodman says the appraised values can be determined two ways- by recent sales of similar properties or the cost of replacement less depreciation.

Goodman says she had some kind of idea when she came into office in 2017 that the values were extremely low. She says “And then when the market inflated the way it did the last year, it knocked our county significantly out of compliance.”

Goodman says Missouri’s property tax continues to be the largest and most reliable source of funding for the state’s local schools and governments, with approximately two-thirds of the taxes collected going to local schools. She says the final tax rates have not been set yet for each of the taxing entities in the county. She says if you feel your taxes are too high, then you should involve yourself in their budget meetings.

Goodman says if you feel your assessed valuation is too high, you need to contact her office now.

Goodman says if you wait until you receive your tax bill in November, that will be too late, and you will have to wait until next year to challenge the assessed valuation of your property.

Goodman said for those who are on a fixed income, there are programs available, including the Missouri Property Tax Claim and the Homestead Preservation Act. She says those individuals may want to contact their CPA for more information.

The deadline to contact the Assessor’s Office to contest the assessed valuation of your property is Wednesday, June 30. Board of Equalization hearings are scheduled to be held next month. You can contact the Assessor’s Office at 886-4380.