Relief at Ballot Box? Spike in valuations fuels homeowner anger

Appeal deadline April 28

By GARRY DUFFY

Rapidly rising property valuations in recent years and the taxes they lead to have some homeowners fighting mad. Many homeowners have seen valuations on which property tax bills are calculated double in the past few years - based on a soaring housing market that has since crashed and burned.

"My house has gone up over 100% in the past five years," Steve Koch said recently of the house south of Grant Road and west of Silverbell Road that he built and that his family still lives in. Marcia Lincoln said the valuation on her property on the West Side hit the stratosphere last year with a full-cash-value increase of 147% from the previous year. That's for a 1,220-square foot home on 13 rural acres.

More than 7,500 homeowners appealed their valuations in 2007. On Saturday, the Pima Association of Taxpayers, a nonprofit property tax watchdog organization, will hold a free meeting to help homeowners interested in appealing. The appeal deadline is April 28.

Koch and Lincoln have taken the additional step of becoming volunteers with Arizona Tax Revolt, whose members are circulating petitions to get two property-tax initiatives on the November ballot. One would roll back home valuations to 2003 levels. The other would force taxing jurisdictions to use an average of tax levies collected over the past four years to set tax rates in 2009.

FULL STORY: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/frontpage/80999.php