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 assessments are 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 Morris said. ”In order to do this, approximately one third of the State’s counties will be subject to review each year over the next three years.”
The following nineteen counties are the first to be reviewed as part of this multi-year project: