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Public commenter urges county review after apparent assessment inconsistencies
Summary
At the Feb. 27 meeting a resident, Harry Stoffer, told commissioners his son's property assessment and taxes appear inconsistent with nearby properties and asked the county to investigate; the chair invited him to leave documentation for follow-up with the assessment office.
A Reading resident, Harry Stoffer, used the Feb. 27 public comment period to urge the county to examine apparent inconsistencies in property assessments.
Stoffer said his son purchased a property 25 years ago for $70,000 and believes it remains assessed at that figure, while neighboring properties show higher sale prices and higher assessments. He described examples (one neighboring property bought for $168,000; another cited as assessed at $320,000) and told commissioners the figures “don't add up.”
Chairman Linebaugh cut short the speaker when the three‑minute time limit elapsed but offered that if Stoffer would leave the information the county would follow up with the assessment office to get definitive answers.
Why it matters: property assessments affect tax bills for homeowners; disparities or apparent errors can shift local tax burdens. The county clerk and assessment office are the appropriate channels for verification and adjustments.
Next steps: the chair invited Stoffer to provide documentation so staff could forward it to the assessment office for review; the transcript does not record a follow‑up outcome.
