•January 29, 2020•

The Moultrie County Board report in the January 22 News Progress contained some errors in the discussion of quadrennial year assessments.
The part of the story in error begins when Christa Helmuth pointed out Assessed values increased 157% and 240% in her neighborhood. (I incorrectly referred to real estate taxes).
Those percentages are figured by taking the 2019 assessed value subtracting the 2018 value and dividing the 2018 value by the difference.
Vanguard did not help in converting the property record cards. “I saved the Townships and the County $500,000 by having the assessment office staff do the conversion. Vanguard is the company name of the CAMA program that the county is using and has been using for commercial since 2011.” Supervisor Barringer said.
To complete a land study the state requires 25 good sales in a 3 year period. There was not 25 good sales in a three year period.
Therefore, the Supervisor of Assessments looks at coefficient of dispersion (land to building ratio) based on good sales with buildings on them that occurred in the three year period (2016, 2017 & 2018).
“This is how I determined the land value for Moultrie County in tax year 2019,” Supervisor of Assessments Lori Barringer explained.
Farmland has been assessed every year. It has been 12 years (2007) since the last residential land study was completed for Moultrie County. This means residential land value has not changed since 2007 in Moultrie County.
Barringer noted once through the transition, assessed values should have minimal increases or decreases because with a digital system for keeping records this is a more efficient way to look at the market every 4 years as per property tax code.
Moultrie County has gone to DIGITAL property record cards!
January 20, 2020 and thereafter, it will cost $1.00 to email a property record card.
A paper copy of a property record card will cost $0.25 per page.
Property record cards will be available on our website January 20, 2020, with a subscription fee of $10.00 per month or $120.00 per year. Contact our office to learn more on subscribing.