Jasper County officials said they are beginning a major property reassessment that is required by state law.
The reassessment of more than 29,000 properties to calculate updated values is required every five years, a news release said.
Property owners will receive their new assessments in the mail by mid-July, the county said. The notice will include details about how to appeal an updated property value if the owner believes it is inaccurate.
Tax bills will go out in late October to early November and taxes will be due by Jan. 15, the release said.
“This is a major project that has very specific regulations and procedures, including how to appeal the assessment if you don’t agree with how it was calculated,” county administrator Andy Fulghum said. “We do this step by step, and we then ask state teams to review all of our findings for accuracy before the notices go out.”
Assessor Susan Waite said rather than try to examine each property, staff appraisers determine land values based on a review of property sales as well as improvements to land and structures.
The appraisals are tested for accuracy and all results are sent to the S.C. Department of Revenue for review and state approval, the release said.
While millage rates may go down, individual property taxes could go up because of increased property values, the county said. Properties are valued based on their nearby comparisons, so the assessments are accurate to neighborhoods.
“State law limits taxable increases to 15 percent per five-year period for properties without changes, resale or improvement,” the release said. “That 15 percent cap doesn’t apply to properties that have seen upgrades, additions, renovations, or other changes.”
To streamline the process, taxing entities including the school district, municipalities and fire districts choose to let Jasper County bill and collect taxes, the release said. The county then distributes the funds to the taxing entities, Waite said.
“By simplifying the process this way, property owners receive only one property tax bill a year instead of several,” she said.
After the new assessments are mailed, the county said, there is a 90-day appeal period. Appeals must be in writing and challenge the fair market value, special use value, assessment ratio or property tax assessment. Details will be included in each mailing.
“Our county has seen some very strong economic growth in both the residential and industrial realms,” Fulghum said. “We have been making steady progress, with the help of state and federal grants, to improve our roadways, to upgrade our airport to handle small corporate jets, and to make other infrastructure investments.”