Dayton board approves three assessment reductions, agrees to reconvene on one appeal

The Dayton Local Board of Appeals voted unanimously to approve three assessed-value reductions and to keep the local appeals process open for one property owner who requested additional time to supply appraisal evidence.

Wright County and Hennepin County assessors presented results of the sales review used for the 2025 assessment. Adam Blomquist of the Wright County assessor's office told the board, "We're looking at October first of 2023 through September thirtieth of 2024," the sales period used to set values for taxes payable in 2026. Hennepin County residential appraiser Mitchell King said the sales indicate an average 3.1% increase for residential property types in Dayton for the 2025 assessment.

The board approved reductions for three parcels after staff reported the owners had supplied information supporting changes. The parcel PID 1012022310004 was lowered from $564,800 to $540,000; PID 3212022110087 from $672,100 to $615,900; and PID 3212022140009 from $743,100 to $680,000. The board voted 4-0 to accept the recommended reductions.

The meeting also addressed an appeal by property owner Scott Weidema, who said several of his Dayton properties showed double-digit increases and asked how long he had to file appeals. Weidema said of one year-over-year increase on 77 acres, "I find that to be absurd." He asked the board to leave the local appeal option open while he assembled comparables and appraisals. The board agreed not to close the local appeal process for him and discussed reconvening to hear his evidence. Councilmembers voted unanimously to recess and reconvene the local board within the 20-calendar-day window; staff and the appellant agreed to schedule the reconvened hearing for two weeks from the meeting at 6:00 p.m.

Board members and staff clarified appeal procedure. Staff explained the local board reviews owner-supplied comparables and inspection information and may change values or classifications, but the county board may later review and overrule local decisions under state processes. Staff also advised that residential and commercial properties generally require an exterior or interior inspection before a local board can change an assessment.

Assessors gave overview figures for the citywide assessment. Blomquist said Wright County started with a state time-adjusted median sales ratio near 82.57% for part of Dayton and adjusted to a target final ratio around 95.82% for the 2025 assessment, reflecting an overall residential value increase of about 4.96% in that area after equalization steps. King summarized Hennepin County results: total market value reported at roughly $2,547,363,600; new construction about $143,855,100; a net percent increase across property types of about 2%; and a gross percent increase (including new construction) of approximately 8.1%. King also listed other changes by property type: commercial -3.7%, industrial +1.6%, apartments 0%, townhomes 0%, and duplex/triplex up 50.5% due to two added triplexes.

The board took two recorded votes on procedural items. Members voted unanimously to close the Wright County portion of the hearing record for matters already handled (vote recorded as 4-0) and later voted 4-0 to recess and set a reconvened local board hearing within the statutory 20-day window to permit the appellant to supply evidence.

The board adjourned after confirming the three value changes and scheduling the reconvene; staff listed contact information for property inspections and asked appellants to provide comparables or appraisals before the reconvened hearing.