Bay County Property Appraisers Office Understanding Your Notice

Bay County Property Appraiser’s Office Understanding Your Notice of Proposed Taxes Dan Sowell, CFA Bay County Property Appraiser 860 W. 11 th Street Panama City, FL 32401 (850)248 -8401 www. baypa. net

What Exactly is a TRIM Notice? • Your TRIM, or truth-in-millage notice is designed to inform you which taxing authority is responsible for the taxes levied and the amount of tax liability owed to each taxing authority on a yearly basis. Please read it carefully. • Your notice enables you to compare the prior year assessed value and taxes with the present year assessed value and proposed taxes. It also allows you to compare the amount of taxes if there is not budget change for the upcoming year. • The notice lists the date, time, and location of all budget hearings at which the taxing authorities will hear from the public. • At these hearings, the taxing authorities establish the millage to be levied against the parcel of land shown on the TRIM Notice.

2010 SAMPLE TRIM

Why is the Market Value Different from the Assessed Value? • If the property in question is under a Homestead Exemption, the taxable value is limited by constitutional amendment or “capped”. This means that if market influences cause an increase in overall assessments within the County, homesteaded property is protected from being impacted by the full reassessment in a given year. • The limit that the value of homesteaded property can increase in a year is either 3% of the market value or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less. (The exceptions to this rule are major improvements to the property such as additions or additional extra features such as pools, fences and utility buildings. ) • Also, 2009 was the 1 st year non-homestead property increases are capped at no more than 10% on the non-school portion of one’s tax bill.

The Role of the Property Appraiser The Property Appraiser is required by Florida Law to: 1. Locate, identify and accurately appraise all properties subject to ad valorem taxes; 2. Maintain property value roll equity; 3. Process allowable exemptions. The Property Appraiser has no jurisdiction or responsibility for district budgets, tax rates, special assessments or determining the amount of taxes you pay. These matters are handled by various taxing authorities performing services i. e. the County Government, City Governments, School Board and other taxing districts.

What if I Believe the Assessment of My Property is Incorrect? If you think the assessed value of your property is incorrect, you may contact our office to discuss your assessment with one of our appraisers. If our office is unable to resolve a disagreement concerning the assessed value, you may file a petition to appear before the Value Adjustment Board. Petitions are available for the Property Appraiser’s Office, as well as our website, and must be filed within 25 days from the mailing of the TRIM Notices. For the 2010 tax year, petitions must be filed with the Clerk of Circuit Court on or before September 14 th. For information on how to file a petition, contact the Bay County Clerk of Circuit Court at (850) 767 -3314.

What if I Feel My Taxes are too High? As previously stated, the Property Appraiser has no jurisdiction over the amount of taxes you are required to pay. Your taxes are determined by the various taxing authorities, which are listed on your TRIM Notice. If you feel your taxes are excessive, you are encouraged to voice your opinion to the proper taxing authorities by attending the scheduled budget hearings listed on your Notice. A list of phone numbers for the various taxing authorities is listed on the following page should you have any questions about these hearings.

Contacting Your Taxing Authorities • • • Bay County School Board Bay County Board of County Commissioners Bay County Mosquito Control District Beach Mosquito Control District Multiple Service Taxing Unit Northwest Florida Water Mgmt. District City of Panama City Downtown Improvement Board City of Lynn Haven City of Callaway City of Cedar Grove City of Mexico Beach (850)872 -4100 (850)248 -8170 (850)784 -4080 (850)233 -5030 (850)784 -4013 (850)539 -5999 (850)872 -3000 (850)785 -2554 (850)265 -2121 (850)871 -6000 (850)763 -2911 (850)648 -5700