NORWAY – Jodi Keniston said she was not happy when she received her tax bill the first week of October. And she’s the town’s tax assessor.

Keniston said she answered about 20 telephone calls a day the week after the bills were sent. People were upset about taxes. The complaints were down to about a couple of calls a day as of Monday, she said.

Keniston said a lot of people called to make sure she didn’t make a mistake. She said people were more understanding when they learned that there is a process to assessing and valuation and that they were being treated fairly.

“But, that didn’t make them any happier about paying their property taxes,” Keniston said. “This is the first increase we have had in taxes in three years. In 2002 and 2003, people got the same tax bill and a lot of that was because the town kept expenses as low as possible.

“But you can only do that for so long,” she said. “It catches up with you.”

She said Norway’s budget increasing nearly $400,000 over last year’s spending, increases in SAD 17 charges and county taxes all contributed to the tax load.

With a partial property revaluation – building values were recalculated but land values, for the most part, weren’t – the tax rate went down this year from $19.50 to $19 per $1,000 of valuation. The value of buildings for tax purposes, though, rose 20 to 25 percent.

Keniston said that resulted in increases in bills averaging between $300 and $400 per home.

Another factor in higher taxes for owners of modular homes is that Keniston had to drop a 5 percent depreciation she had been granting on such homes since they are selling for the same prices as stick-built homes. Until two years ago, modular homes had been depreciated 10 percent per year.

Keniston said part of the valuation process is looking at the selling price of land, and some areas in Norway are selling for much more than others.

She did not increase land values this year, but she said it could in 2005 if selling prices continue to increase.

“Subdivisions seem to be taking on a life of their own,” Keniston said.

Lots in Cushman Woods on Sodom Road are selling for $15,000 to $18,000, while other lots on that road are selling for about $10,000.

Keniston the only land values she increased were on lots in the North Pond area. She said a one-half acre lot there increased in valuation from about $30,000 to $45,000. She sent out 3,500 tax bills that should return $4,169,975 in taxes.

jsmedley@sunjournal.com

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