Tax bills reduced

Tax bills reduced
By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen/ Times-Herald, Vallejo
Posted: 07/08/2009

Property tax bills for tens of thousands of Solano County residences have been slashed, according to the assessor's office.

Recognizing the continuing decline in the residential real estate market, Solano County Assessor/Recorder Marc Tonnesen said, his office reviewed all county residential property values, and downward adjustments were made where market values have fallen below the assessed value.

That was the case for nearly 57,000 properties on the 2009 property tax roll, he said.

"The values of Solano County homes continue to decline. My obligation to Solano County taxpayers is to make sure their property assessments are fair," Tonnesen said.

The reduced value will be reflected in property tax bills that are mailed by the tax collector's office by Nov. 1.

State law provides for a "Proposition 8" reduction -- a temporary lowering of a real property's assessed value if its market value as of Jan. 1 is less than its assessed value. Once a property is on Proposition 8 status, the assessor reviews its value annually for increases or decreases and adjusts accordingly.

Notices to affected property owners were mailed beginning July 1, and include both the Prop. 8 reduced value and Prop. 13 value for comparison.

Property owners who believe their home's value as of Jan. 1 is less than the Prop. 8 value indicated on their notice must provide market sales data to substantiate their claims, Tonnesen said.

For more information, call 784-6210 or e-mail assessor@solanocounty.com.