Resident criticizes personal property assessments and rising home assessments at citizen's time

At the start of the April 2 meeting’s citizen’s time, resident Douglas Amherst of the Jeff Stoneman magisterial district challenged Hanover County’s assessment and tax practices, saying his annual personal property tax on a 2019 Ford Escape is excessive relative to its market value and that rising real‑property assessments have left homeowners without the cash represented by paper appreciation.

Amherst told the board he bought the Ford Escape new in February 2019 for $22,216 and that the vehicle’s current market value from sources he cited (J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds) is about $11,240. He said the county charged him $391.40 for personal property taxes this year and asked, “Anybody justify that kind of tax on depreciated equipment?”

Amherst also said he bought his house for about $217,000 and that the county now lists the home at $361,000 — an increase he described as unrealized wealth. He said appraisal increases from 2020 onward have included year‑over‑year rates he described as 4.35%, 8.8%, 11.9% and 10.42% and argued those assessment increases do not equate to liquid assets he can spend. “You're charging me as though I've somehow magically made a hundred and $41,000. It's ridiculous,” he said.

He asked the board to consider relief, saying rising taxes contribute to rent increases and pressure on households in more rural parts of the county. Citizen's time concluded with no formal action recorded; the board did not vote on any change to assessment methodology during the meeting.

Why this matters: residents who feel assessments outpace their ability to pay may press the board for relief or for changes to exemptions, tax‑rate policy or assessment appeals processes during the budget and tax‑rate deliberations that follow public hearings.