Auditor David Thomas Announces Submission of Tentative Revaluation Numbers

Tentative values to be released soon

Jefferson- Ashtabula County Auditor David Thomas submitted the tentative 2020 State Mandated Revaluation values to the State of Ohio this past Tuesday. The values are part of a two-year process mandated by the State of Ohio every six years.

The Auditor’s Office is tasking to review each of the nearly 80,000 parcels in Ashtabula County to determine value as of January 1, 2020. These new values will impact taxes paid for 2021, in addition to levies on the ballot this November.

“This revaluation has been a big undertaking for our office and staff but we are very happy with the work done by the appraisal team and eagerly await Ohio Department of Taxation feedback,” shared Auditor Thomas.

Over the past two years, Integrity Appraisal and Ashtabula County Auditor staff have been viewing properties across Ashtabula County to update records based on new construction, demolition, condition changes, or other aspects to properties which would influence value. State law mandates this process to occur every six years with an update to property values based on sales data occurring every three years.

“Your current value is based on the 2014 Revaluation with a market sales update in 2017 unless you’ve had construction or demolition on the property,” stated Auditor Thomas. “Obviously, our local real estate market and the economy has moved quite a bit since 2014 and 2017, with some areas of our county seeing strong market movement and some continuing at the same rate.”

The Auditor’s Office cannot release tentative value amounts until approved by the state, however residents are encouraged to watch their mailboxes and local media outlets for when those values can be made public.

For the first time in Ashtabula County, all residential addresses will be notified that new values are available in a specially created 2020 State Mandated Revaluation website. The soon to be released portal will have a variety of information available to taxpayers including Frequently Asked Questions, tentative and current values, and a state of the art survey system to make an informal complaint of value.

“I am very excited to be having this level of transparency in the Revaluation process with postcards and online access for residents,” explained Auditor Thomas. “We are hoping to have approval back from the state soon and will get the word out shortly after. I want no surprises for folks when they get their tax bill next year.”

One of the most common questions asked to the Auditor’s Office during public outreach on the 2020 State Mandated Revaluation is how a change in property value impacts taxes. The reappraisal itself does not change taxes as it only updates property values to reflect additions or damage to property, as well as changes in the real estate market.

“Tax rates change to collect the same revenue each year. So the total amount brought in stays constant, but how individual property owners pay changes in relation to their values proportion of the tax district’s value,” shared Auditor Thomas. The Auditor’s Office will be unable to give property owners their new tax rates until the end of 2020 following changes in levies voted in the November election and other end of year tax calculations.

Answers to this question and more will be available shortly on the Auditor’s website.