Woods County assessor reports lower valuations; homestead exemptions fall

At a Woods County board meeting, the county assessor presented the assessor's abstract and told commissioners the county reported declines in several categories and walked the board through timing for final certification.

The assessor told commissioners the county is down notably in oil and gas valuations and in marijuana-related property. "We've only got 2 grows left and the 3 dispensaries," the assessor said, and said those losses remove a significant portion of taxable value. The assessor said personal-property assessed value is down about $20 million compared with the prior year and that real-estate assessed value showed an increase, while the county's total assessed value so far (excluding public service assessments) is lower than last year. The assessor said public-service assessments and final paperwork are expected later in the summer (paperwork due in July; final certification likely in August) and cautioned nothing is final until those entries are included.

Commissioners acknowledged the assessor's abstract and then considered homestead exemptions. The assessor reported 1,538 homestead exemptions this year, a decrease of 12 from the prior year, and 51 additional homestead exemptions, down five from last year. The assessor described the program: a homestead exemption is available to homeowners who live in their property; an additional homestead exemption is available to applicants with annual income below $30,000 who provide documentation. Commissioners moved and approved the acknowledgment of the abstract and the homestead exemptions.

Separately, the board discussed federal American Rescue Plan funds and interest earnings. A staff member noted the county has received rescue-plan funds and said a spending deadline of Jan. 1 (next year) was referenced in the discussion; the staff member and the assessor described interest on those funds as belonging to the county and said interest has been used for projects to date.

The board also acknowledged a sheriff's donation that had funded a fingerprinting program for schoolchildren in prior years. The item was noted as a recurring donation used for fingerprinting and related outreach.

The assessor and staff repeatedly emphasized that the abstract submitted to the state is preliminary until the public-service assessments are processed and that final assessed values and tax calculations will be available after the state and county processing in July and August.