04-27-2009 Council Minutes Board of Appeal & Equalization

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.rz . MINUTES OF THE ORONO BOARD OF APPEAL AND EQUALIZATION Monday, April 27, 2009 6:00 o'clock p.m. • Murphy noted Mrs. Johnstone was expecting to be contacted and did not receive a phone call. The City Council requested Assessor Stulc contact Ms. Johnstone. Jon Hofer, 3339 Crystal Bay Road, PID 17- 117 -23 -41 -0021 Hofer stated he also did not receive a call and that he was waiting until today before he was going to call the Assessor's Office. Hofer indicated he was not aware the meeting was tonight until later today when Ms. Johnstone informed him of it. Hofer stated he would like to know what the statute is that allows the Assessor's Office to go back to 2007. Hofer stated his understanding of the statute is that the valuation is supposed to reflect the valuation as of January 2, 2009. Stulc stated the valuation is as of January 2 "d and that the Department of Revenue requires that the valuations be based on sales from October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2008, which is the time period that was reviewed. Franchot asked whether those values are adjusted or whether they are treated as hard numbers. Stulc stated they are treated as hard numbers. U Franchot asked whether the Assessor's Office takes into account changes in the market up or down. Stulc stated the majority of the sales in Orono happened from October 30, 2008 to January 2, 2009, and if the trend was downward, the sales would reflect that. Stulc stated the Assessor's Office did not have enough information for those three months based on the limited number of sales. White stated the Assessor's Office is giving the property owners an additional nine months of sales to look at by extending that time frame. Hofer stated he also is not aware of what the comparables were used by the Assessor's Office since he was not contacted. Hofer noted all of his comparables from Mound were not taken into consideration because they were not within the required time period. There were three properties in Orono that he provided as comparables that all sold for the same or less than what his house is valued at. Mr. Hofer indicated his house is not as nice as those houses but yet his residence is valued at $79,000 more. Hofer commented that he is hesitant about meeting with the Assessor since it appears that his mind is already made up. McMillan stated the Council would like to ensure that Mr. Hofer has received a fair assessment process and that he should receive contact from the Assessor's Office if that is what he would like. Franchot stated it was his understanding that the Council has the responsibility to adjust the price if they feel it is incorrect. • Hofer stated he does have three comparables. PAGE 4