Santa Clara County could charge for property value appeals - San Jose Spotlight

"But it could start costing hundreds of dollars to appeal. County leaders are considering charging single-family home and condo owners $290 to appeal the county assessor's determination of their property's value, which in turn determines the taxes homeowners pay on their property. The $290 fee will also apply to owners of townhomes and multifamily properties with four homes or fewer, as well as agricultural land and vacant land appeals."

"County leaders are also proposing a nonrefundable $675 charge for appeals on commercial, industrial and multifamily apartment properties with more than four homes. They argue the appeals process is taking up time and resources that the county budget doesn't have as it absorbs massive federal funding losses. If approved, the new fees would bring in $3.4 million in revenue per year - largely covering the $3.5 million cost to run the assessment appeals program annually."

""In response to unprecedented federal budget cuts, county administration is actively reviewing fee structures across programs to ensure effective cost recovery," County Executive James Williams told San Jose9 Spotlight. "Our recent study confirmed that a reasonable, fair fee structure based on appeal type will make the program financially self-sufficient and significantly reduce reliance on the general fund, freeing up dollars for critical, at-risk services.""

Santa Clara County officials propose charging fees for property assessment appeals to recover program costs and address federal funding losses. Single-family homes, condos, townhomes, small multifamily units, agricultural land and vacant parcels would face a $290 appeal fee. Commercial, industrial and larger multifamily properties would face a nonrefundable $675 charge. Officials estimate the fees would generate about $3.4 million annually, largely covering a $3.5 million program budget. The Finance and Government Operations Committee advanced the recommendation unanimously; the Board of Supervisors will consider final approval as part of broader fee restructuring to address a structural budget deficit.

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