County appraiser: 2026 assessed values rise; appeals and panel options explained

The County Appraiser presented Sedgwick County's 2026 annual real-property valuation report on Feb. 18, reporting a total assessed value of $7,683,738,636 for tax year 2026 and noting parcel growth of approximately 2,800 parcels (about a 1.2% increase). The appraiser said the county's residential median sales price rose to approximately $264,100 (about +6.7% year over year) and that a typical residential assessed-value change for 2026 was approximately +9.3%.

The presentation explained the valuation process: inspections, recalibration of valuation models, and neighborhood ratio studies. The appraiser said the office is working to comply with sales-to-value ratio industry standards and emphasized that assessed-value increases are not the same as immediate increases in property-tax bills; taxing jurisdictions set budgets and mill levies separately.

The report also covered recent changes in personal property law effective Jan. 1, 2026, which removed many personal property accounts from the roll (accounts declined from 34,184 in 2025 to 14,586 in 2026) and reduced total assessed personal property value by approximately $11.9 million. The appraiser outlined appeal procedures and timelines: real-property valuation notices will be mailed March 1 (notice date); informal appeals must be filed by March 31 and formal appeals and hearing schedules will follow; documentation recommendations included comparable sales, appraisals, repair estimates and income/expense records for commercial properties.

Commissioners asked about appeals, use of hearing officers or panels and how valuations relate to mill-levy calculations; the board voted to receive and file the appraiser's annual report (motion passed 4-0). The county discussed options for a local hearing officer/panel to provide an intermediate, binding review step prior to Board of Tax Appeals filings.