Hubbard County assessor: valuation notices to mail March 21; most property classes saw single-digit rate increases

Maria, Hubbard County assessor, told the Board of Commissioners that the county’s outsourced printer is set to mail assessment valuation notices and tax statements on Friday, March 21, and that the assessor’s office will update the county website with the new information after most taxpayers receive the mailings.

The assessor said the state’s 12-month sales study (time trends) produced smaller adjustments than recent years. Off-water properties saw countywide rate changes ranging about 6.8% to 9.2%; on-water properties changed about 9.4% to 12.1%; and large tracts of bare land received a time-adjustment the assessor said moved from the mid‑teens down to roughly 13%. For nonagricultural land the assessor gave countywide averages: the first 5 acres rose about 10% per acre, and acreage over 5 acres about 15% per acre. Agricultural land increases were smaller than last year: dry tillable and irrigated land rose roughly 5% countywide, and pasture/grassland about 10%.

Improvements (structures) received building-rate increases the assessor estimated at about 7%–10% ("if your house was valued at $100 a square foot last year, you're going to be at around $107 to $110 this year," she said). Lakeshore improvements averaged about a 15% rate increase countywide; rivers averaged about 7%.

The assessor outlined outreach steps intended to reduce appeals and confusion: colored valuation notices with a one-page insert explaining how estimated market value is derived, a local board of appeal and equalization schedule (open-book meetings) beginning April 8, and a sign-up process to let taxpayers reserve review appointments. By state statute, the assessor said, appeals must be heard before the end of May, so the office is concentrating hearings in April and offering appointments throughout May.

Asked how the outreach has affected contacts and appeals, Maria said appeals and phone‑call volumes have dropped in recent years and that in-person education (township association meetings, site visits with local assessors) appears to have reduced misunderstanding about what drives value changes. She also told the board assessor safety is a growing concern; she said local assessors have been threatened and some have been physically chased from properties, and she is coordinating with the sheriff’s office and issuing county ID badges and vehicle magnets for assessors.

The assessor highlighted lakes that produced a larger number of sales in the state sales study: Long Lake had 11 improved sales, while Beltane (Henrietta/Nevis township) and several others had six sales in the study period. She also noted that small-number categories (for example, exempt wetlands increasing from 900 to 1,200 acres) can show large percentage changes even though the absolute acreage change is modest.

The board thanked the assessor; no formal action was taken at this item.