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Sedgwick County commissioner warns appraisal changes could shift tax burdens after appraiser report
Summary
Commissioner Jim Howell addressed residents at a town hall about the county appraiser's recent valuation data, saying sales and appraisal patterns are producing wide variances that shift tax burdens and urging improved appraisal accuracy and legislative solutions such as a tax lid.
Commissioner Jim Howell of the Sedgwick County Commission told a Derby town-hall audience on Feb. 1 that recent appraisal results released by the county appraiser show wide variation between sales prices and appraised values and that the differences are shifting tax burdens between property owners.
Howell said the county appraiser’s recent report — which the commissioner said showed about 87% of recently sold residential homes sold at or above their appraised value and an average residential valuation increase of about 9% — highlights both outliers and a “wide error band” in the appraisal data that he wants narrowed.
The central point, Howell said, is that appraisal errors on both sides of market value matter: owners whose appraisals lag sales prices pay less than a “fair share,” while owners whose appraisals exceed sales prices may be overpaying. "The width of that red pattern is my concern. We need to do a better job of honing in on the right answer," he told attendees.
Why it matters: Howell said appraisal accuracy affects who pays…
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