I submitted an appeal of my

2001 property assessment to the Fayette County Board of Assessors. I received

a prompt reply informing me that my appeal had been denied but that I

could further appeal the decision to the Board of Equalization. I elected

to appear before the Board of Equalization.

As a former licensed Realtor,

I believe that I have a reasonable working knowledge of the methods for

determining the fair market value of residential property as well as the

formal appraisal process. I gathered appropriate data and made my presentation

to the Board of Equalization on a Monday at 11:30 a.m.

The members of the board were

very polite and assured me that they were an impartial board of volunteers

that were primarily interested in fairness to the homeowner as well as

the county. I spent approximately 30 to 45 minutes making my presentation

and provided each board member with a copy of my presentation. I was informed

and that I would receive a written reply within 10 days.

I did receive a reply well

within the 10-day limit. In fact, the form letter denying my appeal was

delivered to my home by the U.S. Postal Service the very next day!

I am still in awe of a process

that enables a group of three individuals to give "careful consideration"

to 10 pages of data, fill in the blanks on a preprinted form and get it

to the Post Office for delivery via regular mail the very next day! And

they did all this in addition to hearing other appeals after my appearance!

After my own experience with

the appeals process, I would advise other homeowners to not waste your

time and effort. The decision is made long before you submit your appeal

to the County Board of Assessors or appear before the Board of Equalization.

Bob Young

Fayetteville