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Resident presses Gage County staff on outbuilding valuations as county adopts aerial review methods
Summary
A resident raised concerns that a moved barn was revalued much higher than its prior valuation and asked whether the county would ensure consistent treatment of outbuildings; county staff described a phased review using aerial imagery (pictometry) and cited manpower limits and the new computer system.
A Gage County resident told the Board of Equalization on Nov. 12 that a barn she moved between properties was valued much higher at its current site than at its prior location and asked whether the county would ensure consistent valuation of outbuildings without houses.
Miss Saxby told staff the barn had been valued at $600 on the original property and was revalued at $5,800 at the new site; she said the barn now sits on a concrete foundation and asked whether other properties without houses would be similarly reviewed. "When I moved it ... it was valued at $600 so I kind of gave them crap ... I better be $600 when I get it over to this here too because it's the same building," she said.
County appraisal staff said reviewing older buildings is time-consuming and that many counties are adopting aerial imagery (pictometry) contracts to identify structures. A staff member described the regional approach: "a lot of the counties around here have got a contract now that they'll be flying over as soon as the leaves get off the trees, but and then we use the pictometry to look at where like, the older buildings and so forth are." The staff explained the county is conducting piecemeal on-the-ground checks and that some older farm outbuildings may have little or no taxable value.
Staff said the county will prioritize subgroups of properties and that the appraisal team cannot complete all revaluations in one year due to manpower constraints. The chair encouraged taxpayers to review property records and report removed buildings with a date or a photo so valuations can be corrected during tax processing. Staff also noted the county is in its second year of a new computer system and recommended property owners meet with staff (Miss Milligan) to follow up on valuations.
No formal vote or directive was recorded on revaluing outbuildings; the board's responses were informational and encouraged taxpayer-initiated reviews.
