The Assessor has several
administrative and statutory duties. The primary duty and responsibility is to
make sure all real property within the assessor's jurisdiction is assessed
except where the law provides otherwise. This includes residential, commercial,
industrial and agricultural classes of property.
RENT REIMBURSEMENT
Qualifying persons may now file for reimbursement from the State of Iowa for a
portion of rent paid in the 2009 calendar year. Not all renters will qualify for
this program. The reimbursement is based on a portion of the rent going to pay
property taxes on the property. If you received a form from the
State you should use that form.
Click here if you need a blank form.
Click here if you would like to
fill out a form online.
Real property is
revalued every two years. The effective date of the assessment is the first of
January of the current year. The Assessor determines either a full or partial
value for new construction and improvements depending upon their state of
completion on January 1st. The Assessor is concerned with value,
not taxes. Taxing jurisdictions such as schools, cities and county, adopt
budgets after public hearings. This determines the tax levy, which is the rate
of taxation required to raise the money budgeted. The taxes you
pay are proportional to the value of your property compared to the total value
of property in your taxing district. General
Misconceptions about the Assessor's Duties
The Assessor DOES NOT:
Collect taxes
Calculate taxes
Determine tax rate
Set
policy for the Board of Review
Important Dates to Remember:
January 1 - Effective date of current assessment.
April 16 thru May
5 inclusive - Protest of assessment period for filing with the local Board of
Review.
May 1 thru adjournment - Board of Review meets each year.
October 16 thru October 25 inclusive - Protest period for filing with the Board
of review on those properties affected by changes in value as a result of the
Director of Revenue and Finance Equalization Orders (odd numbered years).
July 1 -
Filing deadline for Homestead Credit and Military Exemption. Credit and
exemption will appear on the tax statement received the following year.
Credits, Exemptions, and Partial-Exemptions:
The Assessor accepts applications and administers various credits, exemptions,
and partial-exemptions that are allowed under Iowa law. For additional
information about available programs, filing requirements, and related Iowa Code
sections please
CLICK HERE.
CREDIT - A calculated dollar amount that is
subtracted from the gross tax amount to arrive at the net payable tax amount.
The credit amount is generally based on a pre-determined dollar amount times the
current tax rate.
EXEMPTION - 100% tax exempt status on a property is
only allowed on properties that meet very strict criteria of ownership and use.
Iowa law, and courts, have generally held that taxation is the rule, exemption
is the exception.
PARTIAL-EXEMPTION - Under a partial-exemption
program a portion of the valuation is exempted from the gross tax calculation.
Each program has different criteria for qualification, amount, and duration. |
