Door to door inspections of properties begins

County embarks on program to reappraise all properties

Mason City Assessor Dana Naumann and County Assessor John Boedeker have announced that door-to-door inspections of all residential properties in Mason City and Cerro Gordo County will begin approximately June 1, 2016.

A reappraisal program was approved by the Conference Boards in 2013.

The purpose of the reappraisal program is to equalize property assessments so that each taxpayer is responsible for paying only his or her fair share of the property tax burden.

Data collectors with photo identification, signed by the assessor, will make interior and exterior inspections of all residential properties.  They will be compiling information to be used to estimate the fair market value of each property.  Information to be collected includes type of construction, type of interior finish, physical condition of the property, age of structures and exterior measurements.  A complete sales analysis, local construction costs and economic conditions are also considered.  No estimate of value will be given at the time of inspection.

Property owners are asked to cooperate by allowing a complete inspection of their property and providing accu-

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rate information so that a fair and equitable assessment may be determined for each property.

The preliminary data collection process will begin in June 2016.   The project is scheduled for completion Dec. 31, 2017.

Notice of final value estimates will be mailed to each property owner after Jan. 1, 2018.  The property owners will have an opportunity to meet informally to discuss their revaluation in the spring of 2018.

The new assessed values will be effective for Jan. 1, 2018, for taxes payable in fiscal 2019-2020.

Representatives of Vanguard Appraisals, Inc., in conjunction with the Mason City Assessor and Cerro Gordo County Assessor’s Office, will be conducting this project.  All law enforcement agencies, as well as the Mason City assessor and Cerro Gordo County Assessor’s Office, will be apprised of the areas where data collectors are working.  They will also have a listing of all names and license plate numbers of anyone involved in the project.

If any property owner has questions regarding the reappraisal project, they are urged to contact the Mason City Assessor’s Office at 641-421-3061 or the Cerro Gordo County Assessor’s Office at 641-421-3065.

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