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Assessor to hold public meetings about reappraisals June 29, 2009 - No reporter cited

Terrica Hendrix
Assistant Editor

NASHVILLE – With the upcoming real estate reappraisals and updated agriculture rates, Howard County Assessor Debbie Teague encourages all property owners to attend the town hall-style meetings next month to address any concerns and questions.

Teague said Friday afternoon that the county has completed its mandated five year reappraisal in accordance with Act 1185 of 1999.

Real estate reappraisals are mandated to assure fairness and equity in the property tax system among the taxing jurisdictions and the taxpayers, in addition to complying with Arkansas state standards.

Tax revenues provide for the public services that are received, with approximately 86 percent funding the Howard County public schools.

She added that the Assessment Coordination Department, which is the state governing agency over the assessor’s offices across the state, has put out updated agriculture rates for property owners who have land that is assessed as pasture, timber, or crop. 

These rates are not at market value, but have seen some increases across the county, Teague explained. 

It has been at least 10 years since the agriculture rates have been update in the county. These rates are based on the soil’s productivity and the use of the land.  Howard County has seen a 13 percent increase across the county on just agriculture vacant parcels. This does not mean that every code has increased by 13 percent, she explained. These increases will be covered under the Amendment 79 taxpayer bill, where these parcels can only be increased 10 percent each year until they reach the full assessed value.

Teague said that Amendment 79 will provide for the property owner:

An annual credit at the maximum of $350 on a person’s homestead;

A property owner’s homestead can only go up at a rate of 5 percent a year until it

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