Property value evaluations coming this spring

This spring, many Vestavia Hills homeowners will receive notices in the mail from the Jefferson County Board of Equalization about changes in their property values. What residents may not know is that they have just a 30-day window to communicate with the board if they feel their valuation is too high — or too low.

Maria Knight, the Board of Equalization chairwoman, said her department reviews each of the approximately 325,000 properties in the county about once every four years. Based on exterior appearances, repairs, additions and surrounding market value, the BOE staff determines each property’s value, which is used by the county tax assessor to determine property tax amounts.

When a property’s value increases or its boundaries change, the BOE staff sends notices to property owners, typically in April or May. The board also posts information online and in newspaper legal notices. Whether a property’s value increases, decreases or stays the same, Knight said owners have the right to bring a protest before a three-member board to present their case for why the property value should be changed.

“We do want taxpayers to know this is an option for them,” Knight said.

While protesting a home value doesn’t guarantee a change in the homeowner’s favor, Knight said county residents should be proactive in paying attention to their property value and bringing information to the BOE when something is amiss.

“We feel like the taxpayer is actually our employer,” Knight said.

One Vestavia Hills resident recently went through this protest process. Cahaba Heights resident Jack Norris said his protest resulted in a more than $20,000 reduction in his home’s value and a decrease in his 2016 property taxes.

Knight said this change happened through the creation of a new property value zone for the Woodridge neighborhood, separating it from higher property values in the South Shades Crest zone that previously encompassed it. This change lowered about 50 homes’ 2016 property values, and Knight said Norris was one of multiple residents who protested and led the board to make this change.

Norris said he was pleased with the way the BOE handled his requests during the protest process and appreciated the chance to be heard by local government. He said he would like to put together seminars for other Vestavia Hills residents to teach them about the property value protest system.

To learn more about the Board of Equalization, view your property value and the county’s protest system, go to boe.jccal.org.