Board hears 2025 general reassessment, schedules public hearing on tax rate after 63.8% equalized increase

Caroline County’s assessor and county staff presented the results of the 2025 general real estate reassessment and an initial budget recommendation at the April 8 Board of Supervisors meeting, driving a discussion about the county’s tax rate, budget gaps and next procedural steps. County staff reported an overall equalized assessment increase of about 63.84 percent and said that, after factoring statutory exemptions and other adjustments, a rate near 49 cents per $100 of assessed value would equalize tax liability compared with 2024 assessments.

The reassessment presentation: Jason Cowan, the county reassessor, described the reassessment process (discovery, listing, valuation), said staff used 10 years of sales data adjusted to current market conditions and reported statistical quality metrics (nominal assessment level near 98%, coefficient of dispersion about 15). Cowan told the board the county’s overall market value rose about 63% (land and improvements) with larger percentage increases for many land sizes; residential values in bulk rose ~59% and parcels of 20–100 acres rose about 92% in the county’s analysis. He also outlined the public appeal process: informal assessor hearings followed by Board of Equalization appeals, with informal appointments scheduled for May 12–20.

Budget context and timing: County administrator presented a draft operating budget and a balanced‑budget target while describing timing constraints to get tax bills produced. The administrator said the reassessment shifted the county’s per‑penny value from about $354,794 to $566,720 and that an equalized rate based on the new assessed base would be roughly 49 cents; he described a remaining shortfall of roughly $655,000 in the preliminary budget and proposed options—including modest step/scale pay adjustments, school funding increases and operational needs—that would affect that gap.

Board action on advertising a rate: Because the newspaper’s advertising schedule requires lead time to publish notices and because the treasurer and commissioner needed time to generate tax bills, the board moved to advertise a tax rate for a public hearing. After discussion and multiple motions on the floor the board voted to advertise a rate of 50.1 cents per $100 of assessed value for a public hearing scheduled for April 23 (special meeting). Several supervisors explained they preferred to advertise a number slightly above the equalized rate to preserve flexibility for budget negotiations; others said they were reluctant to advertise any tax increase without additional departmental detail. The advertised rate is a procedural action to permit a public hearing — the board may lower the rate at the hearing but cannot advertise a lower figure and later raise it without re‑advertising.

Why it matters: A general reassessment resets taxable values countywide; when a locality’s assessment base jumps quickly taxpayers can see large absolute changes in their bills unless the governing body adjusts the tax rate. Equalizing the tax rate is a common method to keep the county’s total revenue roughly constant despite a changed assessment base; deciding whether to set the rate at the equalized level or above it affects county revenues, school funding and uses of fund balance.

Next steps and appeals: The assessor said informal assessment review appointments are scheduled in mid‑May and the Board of Equalization process follows state code requirements. The county administrator said staff will provide more detailed information (school funding requests, personnel asks and personal property updates) ahead of the advertised public hearing so the board can finalize rates and the budget.

Ending: The board set the public notification and hearing schedule and asked staff to circulate more detailed budget backup information before the next special meeting, as required to produce tax bills in a timely manner.