Whiteley: “Got Your New Property Tax Assessment Notice? Happy With It?”

The following letter was sent by Roy Whiteley, president of Marylanders for Fair Property Taxation:

Hello Folks. Got your new property tax assessment notice? Happy with it?

If not, read on.

December 29, 2009
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE — STATEWIDE

Today the State mailed out new property assessment notices to 673,221 property owners while the Sunpapers screamed that home assessments fall an average of 19.7%?? That’s good news for one third of the over 2 million property owner/taxpayers. BUT what about the other two thirds of us???? Didn’t our property values decline the same as theirs???? And wasn’t it more than 19.7%???? We deserve the same reductions now??

You can do something about this inequity. Appeal your assessment now?? Go to www.dat.state.md.us and download the “Petition for Review of Real Property”. Hand deliver it tomorrow if possible. If not, the assessment offices will be closed on the deadline date December 31 for a State furlough day and January 1 for the holiday. HOWEVER, we have been told postmarks on or before JANUARY 4, 2010 will be accepted. Let’s overload the system. FILE NOW and join the 15,594 taxpayers who have filed this year.

REMINDER

Senator Barry Glassman and Delegate Wayne Norman will once again be introducing legislation that can benefit all property owners. One is the task force bill, which when enacted will create a task force to review, evaluate the effectiveness of and recommend, adopt, and implement reforms to the property tax assessment procedure and assessment appeals process.

The second bill will codify the property owner’s bill of rights. In addition to the items currently contained on the Property Owner’s Bill of Rights card distributed by the Department of Assessments and Taxation, this bill, when enacted, will guarantee taxpayers adequate time for a hearing, an equal sharing of the burden of proof of the property value by the State not solely by the taxpayer, the right to record the hearing if desired, a change of hearing venue if necessary, more time to file an appeal, and require documentation of value by the State at all levels of appeal.

NUMBERS COUNT?? We need to pack the hearing rooms when these bills come up for hearings to let these Senators and Delegate know it is time to allow these bills out of committee and on to the floor for action by the legislators we elect — not just a select few on a hearing committee?! Watch for our notice on hearing dates and scheduled bus rides to the hearings. In the meantime, contact your legislators. Tell them these bills are coming and we want them to sign on as co-sponsors with their full support??

MARCH ON ANNAPOLIS

Check out the website—www.MarchonAnnapolis.com and join us at this rally January 13, 2010 at 7 PM to let your legislators know that taxpayers want action on a myriad of issues throughout MARYLAND. We will have buses to Annapolis for the rally in lawyers square with lots of speakers and activities throughout the day and evening.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE — HARFORD COUNTY

On Tuesday, December 1, 2009 Harford County Council Member Jim McMahan, along with Mary Ann Lisanti and Chad Shrodes, Council President Boniface and Council Boniface at the request of County Executive Craig introduced Bill 09-44 which when enacted will eliminate any service charges associated with the submission of the annual property tax paid in semi-annual payments by the property owner. This will be a big help to all of us in these trying financial times allowing us to stretch that large tax bill into two payments WITHOUT the burden of service charges.

A PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS BILL IS SCHEDULED FOR 6:00 PM JANUARY 5, 2010 IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS AT 212 SOUTH BOND STREET, BEL AIR, MD.

BE THERE TO SUPPORT ITS PASSAGE?? LET’S FILL THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS??

WRITE OR CALL YOUR COUNCILMEMBER NOW TO URGE PASSAGE OF THIS BILL??

REMEMBER NOTHING HAPPENS UNLESS WE MAKE IT HAPPEN??

Roy Whiteley, President
Marylanders for Fair Property Taxation

www.marylandersforfairpropertytaxation.com