Appeals of assessed values are surprisingly low

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Considering how much property valuations increased in Swift County for taxes payable in 2023, Assessor Joe Tschida might have expected a considerable number of appeals flowing into his office.
“There were a lot of phone calls just like any other year, but it was a lot quieter on the appeal front than I thought it could have been,” Tschida told the Swift County Board of Equalization at its June 21 meeting. “There were plenty of questions but not a lot of appeals.”
To bring the value of farmland in Swift County up to reflect the prices at which it was selling, Tschida implemented just over a 20 percent increase per acre for 2023’s taxable values. “That is pretty common for this part of the state,” he said. “Everybody has double-digit increases for the most part. The state average was around 25 to 26 percent.”
Still, there were only three appeals of valuations before the board of equalization. That board is made up of the five county commissioners, but they have to convene a separate meeting specifically as the board of equalization to address any property value changes.
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