Polk County board reviews 2025 assessment study, adjusts several appeals including one residential reduction to $499,000

Polk County assessors presented the methodology and results used to develop the 2025 property assessment and the Board of Appeal and Equalization heard scheduled taxpayer appeals and assessor recommendations before issuing decisions on several parcels.

The county assessor, Mark Lansford, told the board the assessment used sales from Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024, consistent with Minnesota statute guidance and Department of Revenue practice. Lansford summarized results by property type: the countywide residential net change was about 1%, commercial/industrial values rose about 8% countywide, and new construction added roughly $32,394,000 to county values. He said some small towns and lakeshore areas required larger local adjustments after ratio studies showed results outside the state guideline range of a 90%–105% median sales ratio.

Why it matters: the board's decisions set the official assessed values used for 2025 assessments, which determine property tax notices and provide the basis for appeals and any further state review.

Presentation and methodology

Lansford reviewed national and local indicators and explained that assessors use median sales ratios (assessed value divided by sale price) and sales within the stated one-year study window to determine market adjustments. He highlighted local hotspots: Fertile and Fisher showed low ratios that needed upward adjustments; McIntosh and Winger showed high ratios (Winger had few sales so assessors approached changes cautiously); several lakes and Godfrey Township required targeted changes to lakeshore “front‑foot” rates; and rural vacant land continued to lag market…