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Lee County moves forward with reassessment planning and split billing; approves $92,500 payment to appraisal firm
Summary
Supervisors discussed a long-delayed countywide reassessment, a hybrid split-billing plan to transition tax bills, and approved a $92,500 payment to Commonwealth Appraisal Group to continue reassessment work.
The Lee County Board of Supervisors on April 15 discussed plans for a long-delayed countywide reassessment, the adoption of a short fiscal-year split-billing approach to collect property taxes under new values, and approved payment of $92,500 to the county's appraisal contractor to continue reassessment work.
County staff told the board the last full reassessment was more than nine years ago and described steps to bring assessed values closer to market rates. Staff and supervisors discussed the technical effect of the sales-ratio study and how public-service entities are taxed using an annually updated ratio; staff said the county's current public-service ratio is about 57'58 percent.
To ease the transition, the county explained a hybrid or split-billing approach: the board will use a short fiscal year and issue two bills so taxpayers see a portion of the tax at last year's rate and then the new assessments applied in the next billing cycle. Under the approach described during the meeting, property owners would receive a bill for half the year at last year's rate, an October bill using half of the new assessed value, and a subsequent bill in fiscal year 2026 to finish the cycle.
The board approved a motion to pay Commonwealth Appraisal Group $92,500 as the next scheduled payment to the appraisal contractor. Board members said reassessment work and split billing are intended to produce fairer, more current assessments; supervisors discussed that higher assessed values do not automatically change tax bills because the board sets the rate separately.
A county staff member summarized the tradeoff: "Just because your property is assessed at a value, that doesn't mean that that the tax rate is gonna stay the same," the staff member said, noting the board would hold further hearings and public meetings to set an appropriate tax rate once reassessment results are certified.
Supervisors and staff also discussed how updated public-service assessments will increase contributions from utilities and railroads, which can reduce the portion of local tax revenue borne by residential property owners.
