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Resident urges Baxter to reduce assessments, alleges the city is effectively taxing properties twice
Summary
A Baxter resident told the council the city is "taxing us unfairly," alleging double assessment practices and urging the council to delay a paving project and reduce assessments by 0.5; council members and staff responded with explanations of assessment rules.
An unidentified resident used the public-comment period to accuse the city of Baxter of unfair assessment practices that amount to double taxation and urged the council to reduce assessed values. The commenter said some neighbors have put houses up for sale and asked the council to "at least have a person that you can hire to... find, money that can back us up." "This is speculation and hearsay," the speaker said, arguing that the city cannot impose assessments based on unverified plans.
The resident asked the council to delay paving on Cherrywood and address ditches before investing in road surfacing, saying many neighbors are on fixed incomes and would prefer deferral. The speaker sought a 0.5 reduction in assessment and questioned why churches using the road should be treated differently. The council and staff later discussed assessment methodology during the exchange; no binding change to the assessment policy or immediate vote on the resident's request was recorded in the meeting transcript.
