Riley County appraiser reports sales, appeals and exemption updates; residential values make up majority of tax base

Anna Burrows, Riley County appraiser, presented the office's monthly update, including personal property processing, agricultural reviews and residential and commercial sales data.

Burrows said the department had mailed personal property notices of value on April 29 with appeals due May 15 and noted 273 agricultural properties due for annual review this year. She reported 105 residential sales so far this year with a median sale price of $240,500 and an unvalidated sales ratio near 93% while field validation and certification proceed before June.

For 2025 valuation appeals, Burrows reported 439 total informal appeals to date: 314 residential, 46 commercial, nine agricultural, eight farm home sites and 60 vacant parcels. She said two large exemption requests that had been pending were decided and exempted, and that after those decisions roughly 40% of the appraised value in the county is exempt, leaving residential taxpayers paying just under 70% of the county's tax burden and commercial taxpayers about 23%.

Burrows said the office is completing reviews, holding hearings and preparing for Board of Tax Appeals dockets. She said appraiser staff are watching legislative proposals that could affect valuation work and were assisting commissioners with exemption-related information for other county discussions.

Commissioners had no motions attached to the presentation; Burrows said she would provide additional detail to commissioners on request.