BOARD OF EQUALIZATION WILL WRAP UP BUSINESS FOR THE YEAR JULY 25

JACKSON -- The Cape Girardeau County Board of Equalization had its first hearing Thursday.

The board -- which consists of the county commissioners, assessor, auditor and surveyor -- actually convened July 8, said Assessor Jerry Reynolds, but no one asked for a hearing until Thursday.

"This was the first time we had anybody come in," he said. "There's been a few people call and ask about it. There might be one more who comes out. I'm not sure."

"It's been a very light year this year," he said.

July 25 will be the last date set aside for hearings, Reynolds said. The board meets Mondays and Thursdays, because those are the days the county commissioners hold their regular meetings.

The Cape Girardeau man who came before the board felt the assessment was on target, Reynolds said, but was unhappy about weeds and drainage problems on neighboring properties and what effect they might have on his property value.

"We can't do anything about that," Reynolds said.

The lack of complaints could mean Reynolds' staff is doing a good job assessing properties, he said. "Either that or we're not getting them high enough," he joked.

The board last year also heard only one complaint. Most people who come before the board are upset because they feel the assessments on their properties are too high. The higher the assessment, the higher their property tax bills.

The county's total assessed valuation is up again this year. As of Jan. 1, personal, residential, agricultural and commercial property, along with state-assessed utilities, totalled $571,194,198, Reynolds said.

The total for 1995 was $544,173,437.

The board doesn't usually hear many complaints in even-numbered years, Reynolds said.

"During the even years, all we do is put on the new construction" on assessments, he said. "We'll have a lot more next year."

In odd-numbered years, full assessments are figured.

When an assessment is changed, it's usually lowered, Reynolds said.

"It's not unusual for us to make a change at Board of Equalization," he said. "We'll go back and look at it and change it if it needs changed. It is unusual for us on a house to be drastically off."

"I don't recall us ever increasing anybody at Board of Equalization," Reynolds added. "We could, I think, but we never have."

Once the assessments are final, the numbers will be sent to County Clerk Rodney Miller's office for certification. Those figures will then be used by the taxing entities in the county -- school districts, fire protection districts, etc., -- to figure how much they will receive to set tax rates and project tax revenues.