Anderson County reappraisal notices will be sent out soon
This is the regular reappraisal year for real and personal property in Anderson County, and the notices of every property’s newly determined values will be mailed out beginning in late April, county Property Assessor John K. Alley Jr. said Monday.
These state-mandated reappraisals, which until now have been done every five years in Anderson County, are designed to bring property values in line with current market values, Alley said.
Because of a change approved recently by the Anderson County Commission, reappraisals will be moved to a four-year cycle beginning with the next one, which is scheduled for 2029, he said.
There may be some surprises for property owners when they get the notices, as the overall appraised-value average of the 39,000-plus tracts of real property in Anderson County will be about 75%, Alley said.
That doesn’t mean everyone will see a 75% increase in property value, however, as the appraisals range significantly depending on the property’s location, he said.
“Some properties near the lakes could see much higher increases, and some will be lower than that,” he said.
The good news is that increases in property values don’t necessarily mean that property taxes will automatically increase as well, Alley noted.
Unless they go through a tax-increase process that includes public hearings, local governments must lower their tax rates to keep their property taxes “revenue neutral,” he said.
Property values climbed significantly beginning in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and values have continued to rise since, a notice from Alley’s office said.
In late April, the Tennessee Division of Property Assessments will mail the assessment-change notices to all property owners in Anderson County, Alley said.
“These notices are not tax bills; they are simply notification that taxpayers’ property assessment values have changed due to current sales data and market conditions, as is required by law,” he said.
Anderson County property was last reappraised in 2020, with averages values going up about 15% to 16%, Alley said.
Five years earlier, in 2015, appraised values actually fell about 3% countywide, he said. He attributed that to foreclosures that resulted from the real estate recession that began in 2008.
There is a process for taxpayers to use to challenge the reappraisals of their property.
“Taxpayers who have questions about or who feel there is an error on their assessment card are asked to call the Property Assessor’s Office at 865-457-6225,” a release from Alley’s office said. “Taxpayers can then ask for a review of their property details.”
“I want every citizen of Anderson County to fully understand the reappraisal process as we continue to provide the most-accurate and -transparent assessment details possible,” Alley said.
The state Comptroller’s Office has created some brief informational videos that people may view on the property assessor’s website at acassessor.com, which explain the reappraisal process.
“I encourage everyone with assessment questions or concerns to watch the videos before contacting the office,” Alley said.
The appraisals are designed to determine the current “market value” of each parcel, Alley said.
“The Assessor’s Office, along with the state … bases market-value calculations on collected sales data and market conditions from all real estate transactions in Anderson County, taking into consideration other factors affecting real estate values in your neighborhood,” Alley’s release noted.
“The best indicator of current market value is qualified (willing buyer and willing seller) prior-year sales [data], which the Assessor’s Office uses to determine reappraisal values.”
