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Residents urge county to consider lowering tax rate after state assessment increases; commissioners ask finance to review
Summary
A resident presented analysis showing a roughly 20.8% three-year residential assessment increase and urged the county to lower its tax rate to maintain a constant yield; commissioners agreed to have finance staff analyze the numbers during the budget process.
During the public-comment period on Jan. 9, Chestertown resident Mike Woff presented a county-by-county chart from the State Department of Assessments and Taxation and urged the Kent County Board of County Commissioners to consider reducing the county tax rate so homeowners do not face a sharp increase in property-tax bills.
Woff said SDAT’s three-year assessment cycle produced a 20.8% cumulative residential assessment increase for Kent County and showed the county currently has one of the higher real-estate tax rates in Maryland. Using a $350,000 example residential property, he illustrated how the phased three-year assessment increases would raise a homeowner’s annual tax bill from about $3,577 to roughly $4,355 — an increase he characterized as a substantial household burden. He proposed lowering the tax rate each year during the three-year phase-in so the county achieves a “constant yield” in revenue while preventing homeowners’ bills from rising by the same amount.
Commissioners and staff responded on the record. President Ronald H. Phythian and other commissioners acknowledged the assessment increase and directed county finance staff to analyze Woff’s calculations as part of the upcoming budget process. A county official explained the board must set the tax rate during budget deliberations (commonly in late May) and that the county could adjust the rate to maintain a constant yield if desired. Staff said additional budget work sessions will review taxable assessed values and tax-rate options.
Commissioners also noted several homeowner relief options referenced on the tax-assessment notice, including homestead credits and the homeowners’ property tax credit program, and urged residents to check eligibility for state and county credits. The board instructed staff to provide detailed numbers as the budget process proceeds; no change to the county tax rate was made at the Jan. 9 meeting.
