On July 30, 2025, the county Board of Equalization upheld assessor valuations for four properties associated with Michael J. Plank in the Cornerstone development after an assessor presentation and brief discussion; the petitioner did not appear in person but had submitted an emailed spreadsheet that staff placed into the hearing record.

The board voted to uphold assessor-recommended values of $425,000 each for three vacant Cornerstone lots (account numbers R005818, R005977 and R005846). For the improved property at 36 Surveyor Court (account R005847), the assessor recommended a value of $3,134,800; the board voted to uphold the assessor's valuation.

Assessor presentation and evidence: the assessor's office said Cornerstone vacant land values were set using five vacant-land sales within Cornerstone during the revaluation data-gathering period (July 1, 2022–June 30, 2024). The office reported a median vacant-lot value of $425,000 extracted from those sales and said it values Cornerstone lots on a per-lot basis rather than per-acre. The assessor also told the board that one of the subject parcels (R005818) sold off-market during the data collection period and therefore could not be used as a comparable in the mass-appraisal analysis.

On the improved property, the assessor described the county's modeling method: land and outbuildings are subtracted from sale prices to derive a dollars-per-adjusted-square-foot factor, and non-heated spaces (porches, decks) are adjusted to a lower effective square-foot contribution in the model. After condition, style, depreciation and neighborhood adjustments (the assessor noted Cornerstone's high mill levy is considered in a neighborhood adjustment), the office reported an adjusted dollars-per-square-foot figure that produced the recommended $3,134,800 value for the home.

Discussion and limits of local authority: commissioners and staff discussed the high mill levy in the Cornerstone Metropolitan District and the effect that levy can have on owners' tax bills. The assessor told the board the Cornerstone district sets a mill-levy component that is separate from county taxing districts and therefore beyond the county assessor's authority to change; the assessor's office said it applies a neighborhood adjustment where appropriate but cannot change a district-set mill levy.

Evidence and procedure: the hearing record shows the assessor's office admitted Plank's emailed spreadsheet into evidence; county staff said they received it within the hour before the hearing. The petitioner did not appear in the hearing room or online. The board made individual motions for each account in order and voted by roll call; all motions carried with yes votes from the commissioners present.

Outcome: the board closed the hearing after the unanimous votes and recorded no additional directions to staff.