3/18/2011
CHARLESTON, W.V. — West Virginia State Tax Commissioner Craig A. Griffith announced today that property assessments will be reviewed in twelve West Virginia counties during 2011.
As part of the West Virginia State Tax Department’s Statewide Property Tax Equalization Study, independent appraisers will review property assessments on behalf of the State of West Virginia. These appraisers will be distinguished by an identification card which includes a photograph of the individual appraiser and identifies the individual as a contractor of the State Tax Department.
As part of the appraisers’ duties, field personnel will review land values, neighborhood boundaries, data collection, and sold vs. unsold properties. The appraisers will also perform an assessment/sales ratio study. To validate sales, the appraisers will make phone calls or send questionnaires to the buyer, seller, or other person(s) with adequate knowledge of the sale. The appraisers’ questions will concern the actual sale. They will not ask for any personal information.
The appraisers will also conduct field work within the counties, meaning that they may be observing or taking pictures of certain houses that are part of the equalization study. All field personnel and their vehicles are registered with the County Sheriff’s office, local police departments, and County Assessor’s office in which the equalization study is being performed. If any property owner questions the validity of an appraiser, the property owner should contact his or her County Assessor’s office.
“The purpose of this project is to evaluate the quality of property assessments in all fifty-five of the State’s counties,” Commissioner Griffith said. ”In order to do this, approximately two- thirds of the State’s counties have been subject to review in each of the previous two years.” This is the third and final year of the project with the remaining twelve counties to be completed.
The following twelve counties are to be reviewed in 2011 as part of this multi-year project:
Boone County
Fayette County
Kanawha County
Lincoln County
Logan County
McDowell County
Mercer County
Mingo County
Raleigh County
Summers County
Wayne County
Wyoming County
For additional information regarding the property assessment project, property owners can contact the State Tax Department at (304) 558-3940.
Contact Information
Heather Cochran
304-558-0211