Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Taxation Reassessment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council members ask administration for reassessment briefing as residents report tax increases; auditor to announce review
Summary
Council members asked the administration to present a public explanation of the recent reassessment and how it affected residential and commercial tax bills; members said the item will go to the finance committee next week and an auditor (Lydia York) was reported to be preparing an audit announcement.
Several New Castle County council members used the Land Use Committee meeting to request a public briefing from the county administration and to flag constituent concern over recent property tax changes tied to the countywide reassessment.
A councilmember asked that the administration explain differences between pre- and post-reassessment assessments, the split between residential and nonresidential valuation changes, and how school tax referendums and phase-ins affected bills. Councilmembers said constituents are reporting residential tax increases in the range of several hundred dollars to about $1,500 depending on location and individual circumstances; the transcript records the range as “anywhere from $500 to probably $1,500” as reported by council members during the discussion.
Council members said the matter will be placed on the agenda of the finance committee for next week so county staff can present detailed information. One councilmember who spoke in the meeting said they had contacted county administration staff to arrange attendance; another councilmember said the outreach to the administration had already been made and a county representative is expected to attend the finance committee meeting.
In the meeting, a councilmember reported receiving confirmation from Lydia York of the county auditors that she planned to announce the start of some form of audit the following morning; the transcript attributes that confirmation to a councilmember who cited Lydia York by name. Council members discussed that state law, court actions and referendums at the school-district level factor into how tax rates and phasing operate, and several members urged that the county explain what is within local control and what results from state law or court mandate.
Committee members emphasized they have been receiving calls, emails and texts from constituents and said clarifying the record was important even when actions stem from state law or school-district referendums. Speakers noted commercial property valuations have fallen in some cases and that appeals on commercial parcels predated the reassessment; they said those appeals and phased-in referendum amounts also affect tax bills.
No formal committee vote or legislative action on reassessment was recorded in the provided transcript; council members requested the administration present to finance committee and reported the auditor27s intention to conduct a review.
