From the County Appraiser: Taxpayer tidbits
By DIANNA CARTER
Marion County Appraiser
The wheat harvest is well underway as is our re-inspection process. Appraisal staff is out collecting data in the city of Lehigh and Carriage Hills in Hillsboro, as well as the following townships: Catlin, Lost Springs, Lehigh, Durham Park, Centre, Colfax, Moore, and Grant.
With harvest underway, we understand that the agricultural community is very busy. However, we are going to mail our agricultural letters for ag review soon.
Included with the ag letter is a map that corresponds to the letter. (Yes we noticed that description is misspelled, but we used a template that could not be corrected by our office.) Please complete and mail both back to the appraiser's office as soon as possible.
We also would invite any who have questions or concerns to feel free to come to the mapping department on the lower level of Marion County Courthouse to discuss their land with mapping personnel. Sometimes a one-on-one discussion yields better results.
This will be the last article from this county appraiser. As some of you have heard, I will be leaving as of July 1, 2005. I have enjoyed my time here and will miss dealing with the citizens of Marion County. Marion has much to offer from the rich farm land, the small friendly communities, and the beautiful Flint Hills. I am excited about my new challenge but will miss all that Marion County has to offer. I leave you with some tidbits to remember.
1. If you are going to open a new business, contact Robin in the personal property department to discuss what you need to list as your personal property. If you are closing a business, my suggestion is that you close it before Dec. 31. If you wait until January you still will be taxed for the entire year on the personal property you owned on Jan. 1.
2. When you get your real estate valuation notice in the spring, please take a look immediately as you have only 30 days to schedule an appeal. If you do not feel that you can sell the property for that amount, please appeal the value at that time. You have the option to pay under protest at the end of the year, but it is better to appeal in the spring.
3. If you own agricultural land and make a change to the use of the land, please contact the appraiser's office to let them know of the change. This will ensure the correct use on the property for valuation purposes. No change is too small or large to report.
4. Finally, do not look at the appraiser's office as an adversary, but rather an ally. Valuation is not an exact science but a difficult process. We are not perfect and do not expect to arrive at perfection. We try to do the best we can to make your value and taxes fair and equitable. We understand that taxes are a part of life; we all have to pay them. It makes it easier to know that tax dollars pay for the things we expect to have in our communities: fire protection, law enforcement, 911 communications, roads and bridges, help for the elderly, ambulance services, and public health care, just to name a few. Cooperation makes it all a little easier for all of us.
