Property tax assessments are still weeks away from being mailed, but Bryan County tax assessors are currently in the process of reviewing more than 17,000 parcels in the county.
The review is required by the state every three years and Bryan County’s last one was in 2009, according to Chief Appraiser Liz Lynn.
And a review is different from a revalution, or “reval,” she said.
“The difference between a review and a reval is that the review is just a physical inspection of the properties,” she said. “It’s where we go out and physically make sure the property is there, update our pictures and records.”
On the other hand, a reval occurs when half the parcels in the county “go up or down in value.”
“Every year we study our sales and that determines whether values need to go up and down. Sales are our bible, that’s what we go by — true fair market value sales,” Lynn said, noting it’s too early to know whether there will be a reval in Bryan County.
“We are still analyzing the 2013 sales,” she added.
Property owners have recourse if, once they receive assessments, they don’t agree with the value assigned by the county.
“If people don’t agree with their property value, they have 45 days to appeal once they receive their notice. This will prompt a site visit,” Lynn said.
The appeal goes to the Board of Assessors and Lynn said the burden of proof is on the assessor’s office. She also gave high marks to the Board of Assessors, which consists of Bob Floyd, Matt Owens and Thomas Haynes.
“Each of them brings a lot to the table based on their backgrounds,” she said. “I’m lucky to have this board.”
Lynn is relatively new to Bryan County — she took the job as chief appraiser here, replacing Dan Rolff, in May 2013. Prior to that, she was chief appraiser in Evans County, and before that worked in both the private sector and as county clerk in Evans County.
“I’ve grown to love it in Bryan County. It’s a beautiful county and I like the people here,” Lynn said. “I’ve got an awesome board and great staff. People can contact our office any time to learn about exemptions or how the process works.”