[Editor’s note: In response to a request for information from Fayette taxpayers about property value assessments that exceeded 15 percent above last year’s assessment, we received the following emails. Except in one instance, only first names and only street names or subdivisions have been used.]
Tax assessment increases
Our tax assessment went up 46 percent!
Definitely appealing, especially since the recent sales on the block are consistent with the countywide 9 percent jump. (Newhaven subdivision)
Nikole
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My name is Donna. I noticed your article in “The Citizen” newspaper. I figured up my percentage FMV increase from Fayette County and it comes to a 15.345 percent increase. Your article suggested writing you if an increase of over 15 percent happened. I’m one of those!
If you can help, please do so. Write me back and I’ll give you additional information on my property if needed.
Donna
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I read the article by Ben Nelms and had to reply in response to your query regarding greater than 15 percent assessment increase.
My residential assessed tax increased 25 percent!
Previous year fair market value: $217,650
Current year fair market value: $272,200
Sounds excessive to me. I requested sales information from the county. Seriously considering an appeal pending what the sales information reveals.
Paul
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Editor, thank you for looking into this unreasonable tax increase being imposed by the county. The following is a comparison of my 2015 verses by estimated 2016 taxes
2015 value $255,850
2016 estimated value $321.400 = over a 25 percent increase
2015 taxes were $2339.80
2016 estimated taxes $2946.18 = over a 25 percent increase
Stan
PTC, McIntosh Corners
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My property tax assessment increased by 20 percent. It went from $252,500 to $315,750. I did not make any improvements last year. I live in McIntosh Corner, on Creekstone Bend.
Rita
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I just read your current article about property taxes going up in Fayette County. Your article said home values increased in 2015 by 8.5 percent. I am writing to solicit your help in highlighting the injustice that is being inflicted on me and others in our subdivision. My property taxes last year were $3,069.63. This year’s tax is $3,842.10, a 25.16 percent increase. That is insane!
My home has had no improvements made to it in over 10 years. My home still has the original defective masonite siding that was part of a class action lawsuit years ago. It is rotting off the house. My windows are all rotting and need to be replaced. The house needs a new roof due to its age and storm damage and the foundation is cracking, causing the house to sink and cracking all the interior walls. I am a retired Civil Service employee living on a fixed pension and have not received even a cost of living increase in years.
Last year’s valuation was $231,650. This year’s valuation is $288,700, a $57,050 or 24.63 percent increase. If anything, the value of my house should be decreasing due to its deteriorating condition. Obviously no appraiser from the county has actually looked at my house. So how they came up with a 25.16 percent increase in my taxes makes no sense.
I plan to appeal my assessment this year but anything you can do to highlight the inequity that is being inflected on me and others by the tax office would be greatly appreciated.
Robert
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I was astonished to get my 2016 tax assessment in the mail and find that the value increased from $237,750 to $285,150. That’s $47,400, about a 20 percent increase! I called the appraisers office and she just told me that, of course, homes are not personally appraised and they just crunch numbers, basically. I will be filing an appeal! Looking forward to your next piece!
Christina
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My tax bill up 6 percent last year and up 17 percent this year in Peachtree City. NO improvements to my house.
I called the tax office and they stated it was because of resales in the area.
Ken
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My home in Bel-Aire Loop, Fayetteville had an increase of 25 percent!
Jeffrey
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We live in the McIntosh Corner subdivision in Peachtree City. My tax bill went from $2993.81 to $3768.99. If my calculations are right, that’s a 25 percent increase! While we expect values to increase occasionally due to increased expenditures by the city and county for projects (even ones that are poorly managed, unfortunately), a 25 percent increase is ludicrous! We will be appealing. So will many of my neighbors.
Teresa
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Our tax increase is over 19 percent (just under 20 percent), from last year and we made NO improvements or additions in years!
We are in our mid 50s and have our sights on retirement in the next 7-10 years but would not be able to afford the taxes if it keeps escalating at that rate.
Ray
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The market value of our home increased by more than 36 percent from last year’s value! That’s crazy. We are appealing.
Jennifer
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I read your article in the recent edition of The Citizen regarding property tax assessment increases. Our property at Emerald Lake Drive in Fayetteville was assessed at $561,200 for the current year versus $395,000 the year before, a 42 percent increase. Needless to say we have appealed.
Sian
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Our property tax estimate in Peachtree City is up 15 percent, double what the appraiser told you about the county. This is based on a $16,500 increase in fair market value and $6,600 increase in 40 percent assessed value.
Net estimated tax bill will increase by $399 over last year.
This is not a reasonable jump by any stretch of the imagination
Steve
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Our assessment just came this week, and it is a 27.2 percent increase over last year. Obviously we will appeal, for all the good it does.
Fred and Margaret
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2015 property tax bill was $3000.57.
2016 estimate this year is $3,778.47, a whopping 26 percent increase over last year.
Per your kind request. Your article led me to look at the property tax assessment. It goes up a little each year, but there was some sticker shock this time around. The FMV went up 25 percent, which I disagree with. Usually, the FMV is on the low side of what one could expect from a normal home sale, but the idea that a home I paid $240k for in 2007 is now salable for at least $284,000 (2016 FMV) when the FMV was $226,550 last year is ludicrous.
Paul
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As a dad who works 60 hours a week to provide for my family, I have two concerns about PTC property taxes that will likely be of interest to other residents as well.
1. When Pinewood came to the county, as well as the other businesses which have caused such congestion on our roads, we continued to hear of the money these would bring in to the county. Why have our property taxes continued to skyrocket? My house assessment is now higher than I could sell for.
2. Based on public property tax records, there are many property owners receiving the L4 exemption, which means they have a household income of under $15,000. Many of these residents live in homes valued between $450K and $1.2M on lakes and in high status neighborhoods lined with luxury import automobiles. Example of the difference this exemption makes: My home is valued near $350K and my property tax is $5000. A $750K property with an L4 is taxed at $3700.
How can they be receiving poverty status? Maybe I am misunderstanding something here or maybe it’s time for the tax assessor to review their income documents again to be certain their properties are coded correctly. If mistakes have been made, this additional income to the city might lower the increases on the backs of those of us who are just able to pay our bills.
Will you consider having a conversation with the tax assessor’s office for an explanation of these tax breaks for high consumption residents?
Thank you for your service.
PS to the previous message on property taxes. To assist your research if you choose to look into this issue, I limited my public records search to Peachtree City. Thank you.
Name withheld
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My assessment exceeded the approximate 8.5 percent increase cited by Joel Benton in your May 11 cover page article.
Address: Bellingrath Court, Peachtree City, Ga.
2016 Fayette County Tax Assessor fair market value $464,150
2015 Fayette County Tax Assessor fair market value $389,850
Increase $74,300 or 16 percent
In 2014 this was $386,250
USAA shows average value of 58 sales in 30269, still down from June 2015 (average sale $312,000) to March 2016 (avg. sale value $258,000). I find it interesting while sale values continue down in the area, home tax values climb. I have to question is it really based on the uncontrolled tax-spend of Fayette County?
Jeff
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How about +25 percent for 1 year, +40 percent for the last 2 years?!?
Assessed value 2014 = $91,500
2015 = $102,220 (+11.7 percent)
2016 = $127,820 (+25.0 percent)
Not sure why the big increase (+40 percent over two years), no changes to our property during this timeframe. Do you have any advice?
Phil and Mary
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My tax assessment went from $192,450 to $236,450. A little extreme for the neighborhood I’m in.
Pat
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My assessment on my home went up by 23.1 percent. My house is 44 years old and is only 1800 sq ft. Valuation went from $141,100 to $173,700.
James
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With reference to your article on page 1 of the paper printed May 11, 2016, our property tax bill increased 7.2 percent for calendar year 2015 and 17.6 percent for calendar year 2016.
Either the average rates printed in your article are grossly in error or Peachtree City is gouging the hell out of its senior residents. The property discussed is Battery Way, Peachtree City, Ga.
Marilyn
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The assessment on our home was $339,300 for the 2015 digest. The 2016 assessment is $418,600, an increase of $79,300, just over 23 percent.
The house is an older (25 years) home in Whitewater Creek subdivision. It is well maintained, but no significant improvements or additions have been made.
I’m sending this info to you, after seeing the front page article in the May 11 edition of The Citizen.
Steve and Sandra
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No, my tax assessment did not go up in Tyrone; it went down 26.4 percent because Tyrone has been deleting commercial property land uses since 2004.
Don’t believe me? I’ll be glad to show you my 2016 tax assessment. That’s a loss in value from 2015 of $130,700.
In fact the appraised market value since 2007 has gone down from $1,018,000 to $365,000, a total loss of $653,000. I’ll show you that too, if you care, but I doubt that you would think that kind of loss would be newsworthy.
These losses are happening to all business property owners in Tyrone, but they do not understand because there is no news coverage about this in Tyrone or the lawsuit over it going on right now. I would think those losses would be newsworthy.
I have told you about this in the past but I get ignored. It’s not my opinion, its all facts and law, and Tyrone is spending thousands of taxpayer money fighting it tooth and nail. Rather than give back the land uses they took away — a simple solution that in the beginning would have cost no one any money.
Just for the record, I have spent nearly $300,000 on attorneys’ fees over the past 9 years trying to protect my property rights. Why? Because I cannot rent or sell my property.
Richard Shelley
