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Prince George homeowners press county over large reassessments as officials weigh assessor options
Summary
Residents told the Board of Supervisors of large, unexplained increases in property values after a county-wide reassessment conducted by contractor Vision; County Administrator said the board will decide whether to return to an in-house assessor or continue with third-party vendors, and urged residents to use the formal appeals process.
Homeowners pressed the Prince George County Board of Supervisors on sharply higher property assessments at the board's March meeting, telling supervisors that a third-party reassessment had applied influence factors and satellite-based observations that inflated values.
The issue drew several public commenters, including Justin Noblin, who told the board his property assessment rose 83.5 percent and that assessors had activated an unverified "style" influence factor and added value for a dock seen on satellite imagery. County Administrator Jeff Stokes said the reassessment was performed under the contractor's license and accepted by the State Department of Taxation, but the board will need to decide later whether future reassessments should be done by a county-hired assessor or by an outside vendor.
Why this matters: reassessments change taxable values for thousands of parcels and can materially affect residents' tax bills and appeals workload. Noblin and other residents said Vision's methods produced inconsistent land comparisons and used too few sales for some land valuations, creating disparities between neighboring parcels.
During public comment, residents described problems they said came from relying heavily on satellite imagery and automated influence factors: uninspected docks and features added value, land parcels were valued inconsistently, and owners reported long waits for informal review appointments. County staff told the board Vision recently extended deadlines for informal reviews: the deadline to schedule an informal review was extended from March 31 to April 9, and the informal review deadline to April 11.
County Administrator Stokes asked residents to report direct problems with Vision's process and said the board will decide in the near future whether to move to an in-house assessor or select a different vendor. Stokes also said Vision's license is on the line and that residents should start the informal review with Vision when disputing an assessment; by state law neither the board nor the county administrator can alter an assessment number directly.
The board did not take a formal vote on reassessment policy at the meeting; staff said the reassessment appeals process and contractor performance will be part of a future decision. Residents who spoke asked for quick follow-up and for the county to press Vision and the State Department of Taxation for clarifications.
