MASON CITY – Elected officials in Iowa do not raise property taxes much anymore, they just send the assessors out to inflate valuations.
The Mason City Assessor’s Office statement:
The Mason City Assessor’s Office has completed valuations for Assessment Year 2023 and notices were mailed out on March 30th. Any property owner whose assessment has changed will receive a notice by mail, and valuations will also be available on the Beacon website by April 1st.
Iowa is a market-value state, meaning our assessments are required to reflect the current real estate market. For AY2023 we are required to use all arms-length sales transactions from 2022 to determine our values. The median sales ratio for residential property in Mason City (including dwellings on agricultural property and residential 3+ properties) is 82.57%. The median for commercial property is 88.33%. Iowa legislature mandates by code that valuations be at 100% market value, plus or minus 5%, every odd numbered year. If they are not, the state will equalize properties in the fall. This is done by increasing the entire property class by a flat percentage, meaning some properties will receive more of an adjustment than necessary while others may not receive enough. By valuing our properties based on local market data, we are making sure all properties are valued fairly and equitably.
Mason City is seeing a similar overall value increase to what the rest of the state is experiencing. Although these increases can look a little scary, it’s worth noting that a high increase in value doesn’t automatically translate to the same increase in taxes. The state rollback rate for residential will be recalculated to reduce the amount of value used to calculate property taxes, and with a higher amount of taxable value to levy against taxing bodies (the county, city, school board, etc) will have an opportunity to reduce their levy rates without reducing their overall expenses.
Property records are available on our Beacon website. When considering your 2023 assessment, ask yourself “Could I sell this property for that amount today?” If the answer is yes, the assessed value is probably accurate. If you feel the assessment is too high (or too low), you may review your record online (or request a copy of your property record card from our office) to make sure the property information on file is accurate. Recent sales are also available on the Beacon website. The Comp Search feature will allow you to filter sales by different property characteristics to see sales of properties similar to yours.
If you still believe your assessment is not the market value of your property, you may request an informal review with the Assessor’s Office and present any information or evidence to show what you feel your assessment should be and why. The informal review process is available until April 25th. If an agreement is not reached by the end of the business day on April 25th you may make a formal appeal to the Mason City Board of Review.
The Board of Review operates independently from the Assessor’s Office and has the power to either confirm an assessment, or make an increase or decrease if necessary. Protests must be filed with the Mason City Assessor’s Office between April 2nd and April 30th to be considered by the Board. More information on the informal appeal process and the Board of Review can be found in the Appeal Information section of our website.
If you have questions about your assessment or the appeal process, please reach out to our office in one of the following ways:
By email: MCAHelp@CGCounty.org
By phone: (641) 421-3061
In person: Cerro Gordo County Courthouse
220 N Washington Ave, Mason City
3rd Floor
Statement from City Hall: “It is important to remember assessed value does not translate directly into taxable valuation. Various factors including property tax rollback, exemptions, and the various levy rates of the taxing jurisdictions impact the final amount of taxes due. For example, the City of Mason City has reduced its tax levy in each of the last 3 years and the percentage of taxable valuation for residential properties has decreased over the past several years due to a general downward trend in the assessment limitation (rollback).”
It was 10 years ago, in 2013, that the “conference board” met in Mason City and decided to pursue governmental revenue increases. This hodgepodge of elected officials decided to spend $1 million to begin the process of forever sending aggressive assessors out into our neighborhoods to make sure property valuations are always at their peak, and therefore the most taxes possible could be collected. The elected officials shirked any responsibility by making the meeting as secret as possible (only NIT attended, no other media present) and then by keeping tax rates mostly flat since then.
Thanks Kimmee!