Understanding the Role Your Assessment Plays in the Iowa Property Tax System

Anyone that has called into an assessor's office wanting to talk about their property taxes has likely been informed that our offices don't set taxes--we are tasked by state code to reflect what, statistically, your Residential or Commercial property would most likely sell for, i.e., market value or your assessment.

That being said, the non-profit Tax Foundation recently had an article about tax relief in Iowa that might be of interest to property owners, and the role of assessments in the Iowa property tax system: Securing Property Tax Relief in Iowa

No assessor in Iowa worth their salt has made an assessment based off of the eventual taxes. Taxes are set and collected in a process that takes 18 months from the date of assessment and involves the Iowa Department of Revenue, county auditors, and taxing bodies.

And then there is the likelihood of state legislators once again making changes to the process, such as SSB 1208. Trying to predict the eventual taxes at the time we set the assessment is a fool's errand. Assessors are nerds, not psychics.

Although we are sympathetic to the tax concerns of property owners, we are tasked with determining your property's market value and that is our focus. If you do not believe that your assessed value is a likely sales price and have compelling evidence why that is the case, your local assessor WANTS to hear from you when you get your assessment notification in a few days.

While mass appraisal is a pretty amazing tool for setting values, there are always going to be oddball properties that don't fit the mold. If you believe you could sell your property for at least the assessment, then it is more than likely appropriate. If you do not, then the appeals process is there to utilize. That information can be found at the bottom of your assessment notification which will be mailed out no later than April 1st.

Written by: Dubuque County Assessor, Billie Selby