Homeowners challenge mass-appraisal increases at county assessor hearing

At a county assessor valuation hearing, several homeowners testified that recent mass-appraisal changes produced large, unfair increases in their property valuations and resulting tax bills. Mavis, who identified herself as living at 1401 Marshall Street in Wood River, told the panel her house “barely” survived a nearby explosion and that the blast and subsequent settling have left interior and exterior damage; she said the assessor’s valuation change would raise her tax bill by $7,096 and called that “ridiculous.”