County fails to tax new business
Staff writer
The owners of Diamond H Fitness Center at 1222 E. Main are in for sticker shock when their next property tax bill arrives in the mail.
The business has slipped through cracks since it was built in 2017 and been taxed $484.60 a year — the rate for an empty lot.
“If you add the building on there, it’s going to be a lot more than that,” deputy appraiser Brian Frese said.
Frese, a member of the fitness center who joked that his membership might be revoked, said the property tax for Diamond H Fitness Center has been calculated based on the appraiser’s records — that it is a vacant lot valued at $18,630.
Taxes on vacant lots are calculated at 12% of the assessed value.
Taxes on commercial properties are calculated at 25% of the appraised value of the property and building.
“I’m not seeing a building permit,” Frese said.
A building permit was applied for Aug. 16, 2017, and approved by the building inspector and zoning administrator Aug. 27, 2017, Marion city clerk Tiffany Jeffrey said.
The appraiser’s office did not get a copy of the building permit from the city of Marion.
“They dropped the ball there,” Frese said. “We request building permits at the end of the year.”
Frese said the last time appraisers did a visual inspection of the property was 2016. It was due for a new appraisal in 2022.
Diamond H Fitness Center Burt Harshman declined to comment for this article.