South Bay property owners to pay fee for assessment appeals - San Jose Spotlight

"Santa Clara County homeowners and businesses will have to pay hundreds of dollars in fees to challenge how much they pay in property taxes every year. The Board of Supervisors on Feb. 9 unanimously approved charging single-family home and condo owners $290 to appeal the county assessor's determination of their property value, which in turn determines the taxes homeowners pay on their property."

"County leaders will also charge $675 for appeals on commercial, industrial and multifamily apartment properties with more than four homes. They argue the appeals process is takes 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."

""The proposed non-refundable fees - $290 for homeowners and $675 for commercial and multifamily property owners - are unreasonably high and would create a serious barrier for residents and business owners seeking to challenge potentially inaccurate property assessments," licensed Realtor Milo Abadilla wrote to supervisors in one of dozens of letters from residents.The appeals process is a core county function that is already supported through existing tax revenues."

Santa Clara County will charge homeowners $290 to appeal property assessments, including single-family homes, condos, townhomes, small multifamily units, agricultural land, and vacant land. The county will charge $675 for appeals on commercial, industrial, and larger multifamily properties. County officials project $3.4 million in annual revenue, offsetting about $3.5 million annual program costs. The county clerk proposed the fee, not the Assessor's Office. Officials cited time and resource constraints and federal funding losses. Residents and real estate professionals warned the nonrefundable fees are high, could deter appeals, and effectively penalize taxpayers seeking fair assessments.

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