Board tables several residential appeals and updates downtown parking valuations reduced during COVID

At its Sept. 26 meeting the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals tabled a group of residential appeals that staff said require recalculation and discussed adjustments to downtown parking‑facility valuations that had been reduced during the COVID years. Staff told the board that values for a series of residential parcels (including MLK Homes and related residential appeals spread through the agenda) were submitted with values that staff now believe were calculated too low; staff said it had received additional information and will recompute values before bringing those parcels back to the board. On downtown parking, staff explained the office assesses certain parking garages and lots on a per‑space basis. For one large garage reviewed at the hearing staff said the parcel holds about 1,282 spaces and that the assessed value was reduced for 2020–2021 because of pandemic‑era declines in demand; values have been increased in subsequent years as usage recovered. Staff described working up per‑space values and noted that the office applies a separate treatment for garages and lots downtown. Board members voted to table the residential appeals that staff flagged and to approve a set of agenda pages containing assessments the board considered ready to act on (the board approved pages covering parcels listed on pages 21–161 and other ranges as recorded in the hearing). Staff said it will supply recalculated residential values to the board and attorney for review before the next meeting. The discussion provides an example of the assessor’s office adjusting methodology year‑to‑year to reflect real‑world usage changes during and after the pandemic and demonstrates the board’s practice of tabling items when staff needs to rework valuations.