Board grants short postponements, hears RB Realty appraisals and assessor corrections

Elkhart County’s appeals board on March 17 took up several petitions from RB Realty challenging 2024–25 assessments for multiple commercial parcels in Elkhart and Middlebury. Petitioner appraiser Beth presented three approaches to value — income, sales-comparison and cost — and argued for functional and economic obsolescence because buildings have been vacant for years, have experienced theft and require substantial rehabilitation. For one parcel the petitioner’s reconciled value conclusions ranged from the mid‑hundreds of thousands down to lower six-figure amounts; for another property in Middlebury the petitioner sought a reconciled assessment near $156,000 for 2024–25.

The assessor’s office responded that corrected property-record cards and field-visit notes had already reduced several 2024 assessments and provided exhibits, aerials and communications showing outreach to the petitioner in advance. The assessor stressed that sales and purchase conditions (some parcels purchased vacant) and the uniform application of land orders and time adjustments are important to market-value determinations.

After hearing both sides, the board granted 30‑day extensions for multiple petitions to allow the assessor and the petitioner to confer, exchange additional evidence and potentially reach agreement without further hearings. The assessor said the office is willing to review and, if justified, apply corrections discovered through those discussions; for some parcels the assessor reported data corrections that lowered the work‑in‑progress assessment values already.

The hearing proceeded parcel by parcel, with parties asked to exchange documents and return written briefs; no final values were adopted at the hearing for these RB Realty matters. The board adjourned after advising parties of the timeline for returning any appraisal or substantiating materials.