Franklin County board sustains assessor valuation for Snively vacant lot

The Franklin County Board of Equalization on Dec. 4 sustained the assessor’s valuation for a 4‑acre vacant parcel owned by Michelle and Harold Snively, concluding the assessor’s revised total assessed value of $168,600 would stand.

The decision matters because the assessor’s appraiser told the board the parcel includes two separate outbuildings — a 24‑by‑36 shop and a 24‑by‑36 lean‑to — and the assessor adjusted the outbuilding value downward to reflect that configuration. The assessor’s appraiser said comparable land sales in the neighborhood support a land price near $36,250 per acre and recommended extracting the outbuilding value of $23,000 for a combined assessed total of $168,600.

At the hearing the assessor’s appraiser described the site as a vacant 4‑acre parcel with a detached shop and a lean‑to and acknowledged a clerical date error on one comparable. The appraiser said the packet included aerial maps and sales analyses and summarized the comparable sales and per‑acre calculations. "The subject's land value is well supported at 145, with a revised value for the outbuilding of 23,000 for a total of 168,600," the assessor's appraiser told the board.

Board members questioned the choice of 5‑acre comparables for a 4‑acre subject, and the appraiser explained that few 4‑acre sales existed in the market so the office used a dollar‑per‑acre approach while noting diminishing returns affect per‑acre pricing. One board member flagged a comparable that had a roughly $70,000 well added between sales, which the appraiser said affects comparability and had been noted in the packet.

The board concluded its review and announced it would issue a written decision within four weeks; the decision is appealable to the State Board of Tax Appeals. The hearing record shows no formal vote tally in the transcript; the board’s announcement states the assessor’s revised valuation was sustained.