A lot of us county residents headed to Albemarle’s GIS website on Sunday after Jim Duncan pointed that out assessments were available. (Mine didn’t change.) As Brandon Shulleeta points out in today’s Daily Progress, county property values are down only slightly this year, by 1.24%. The city released their assessments, too, and they saw a 0.63% increase. Both rates were buoyed slightly by commercial assessments, since residential assessments were somewhat lower. These changes are nothing like the enormous increases that we saw just a few years ago, during the real estate bubble, nor are they like the big drops we saw when it burst. Assuming that real estate tax rates don’t change much—not necessarily a fair assumption—then both localities are basically looking at flat funding, and we’re all looking at paying the same amount in real estate taxes that we paid last year.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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Just got my city assessment and did some back of the envelope math: 6% lower than last year overall. What’s really interesting is that the “land” portion increased by 41% while the “building” portion decreased by 20%.
Did some poking around online at the city’s website and have discovered that a neighbor who bought their house last May has an assessment 22% higher than the price they paid for it.
Gotta love the voodoo economics of balance sheet guesses of value. Doesn’t this tie in to the Minor, Biscuit Run, and Kluge debacles? Banks, governments, businesses, & individuals all buying in — literally — to completely imaginary figures.
My house has an assessment that’s something like 1/3 less than it cost me to build it last year. (The bank’s appraisal is basically the same, incidentally.) I don’t mind—I don’t intend to ever sell the place, so whatever—but it sure is strange.
I bought and sold in the city in December 2010.
Bought House A for $14,500 under assessment = no change in assessment.
Sold House B for $76,500 above assessment = $70,000 increase in assessment.
Looks like the city trying to have it both ways.
Down 6% at my place in Belmont this year, after remaining unchanged last year. Felt kinda weird, but since I have no plans on going anywhere anytime soon, I guess its irrelevant.
Mine is unchanged this year, but the assessment is $25K over what most units in my development are selling for.
Our assessment went up 15% last year. It’s down 25% this year. We bought our house in 2006 after it had sat on the market for a year and they assessed it 25% higher than we had paid. We contested, they knocked it down but then raised it 25% the next year.
I don’t mind paying taxes on fair market value, but I feel like they just pull numbers out of thin air on these things. It’s hard to do comparisons when nothing much comparable is selling around you.
My gut tells me my house is assessed about 10% higher than I could get for it. At some level I don’t care because I don’t intend to sell it, but at another level it bothers me a bit.
…but I feel like they just pull numbers out of thin air on these things.
Jeeze, you think? Im pretty sure they have an army of assessors, all highly skilled, probing the crannies of this lil berg year round with the mandate to come up with the most accurate assessments ever.
Bureaucracy is a beautiful thing, no? Even in a self serious playmobile town like this, there are so many places to hide such awkward mechanisms and procedures, such as sphincter generated assessments.
I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. Twas ever thus.
Out of thin air? Jeeze, you think? No, Im pretty sure they have an army of assessors, all highly skilled, probing the crannies of this lil berg year round with the mandate to come up with the most accurate assessments ever.
Bureaucracy is a beautiful thing, no? Even in a self serious playmobile town like this, there are so many places to hide such awkward mechanisms and procedures, such as sphincter generated assessments.
I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. Twas ever thus.
Out of thin air? Jeeze, you think? No, Im pretty sure they have an army of assessors, all highly skilled, probing the crannies of this lil berg year round with the mandate to come up with the most accurate assessments ever.
Bureaucracy is a beautiful thing, no? Even in a self serious playmobile town like this, there are so many places to hide such awkward mechanisms and procedures, such as sphincter generated assessments.
I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. Twas ever thus.
Is there an echo in here?
echo in here?
Maybe Adam Saroka would like to weigh in on the veracity and honesty of assesments.
Maybe Adam Saroka would like to weigh in on the veracity and honesty of current assesments.