1 Board of Review Discussion
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CITY OF
CHANHASSEN
690 City Center Drive, PO Box 147
Chanhassen, Minnesota 55317
Phone 612.937.1900
General Fax 612.937.5739
Engineering Fax 612.937.9152
Public Safety Fax 612.934.2524
"Web www.d.chanhassen.mn.us
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Mayor and City Council
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The City of Chanhassen. A growing community with clean lakes, quality schools, a charming downtown, thriving businesses, and beautiful parks. A great place to live, work, and play.
FROM:
Don Ashworth, City Manager
DATE:
April 1, 1998
SUBJ:
Board of Review Discussion
Roger Knutson will be present to discuss alternative ways that Board of Review
activities can occur (see attached). I personally believe that Option 3 appears to
represent the general sentiment of the city council. There appears to be a genuine
belief that local board actions (city council) are going to be ignored by the county
board. If this is true, then it simply makes sense to have the county board be the
local Board of Review. Additionally, I have spoken with the County Assessor and
he has agreed that should the city council simply state that the County Board will
be acting as the local Board of Review that they would be willing to take over that
responsibility for this year.
g: \mgr\boropti ons.doc
Professional Association
Attorneys at Law
RECEIVED
MAR 2 5 1998
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CAMPBELL KNUTSON
'lit
CITY Of CHANHASSEN
Thomas J. Campr.ell
Roger N. Knutson
Thomas M. Scott
Elliott B. Knetsch
Suesan Lea Pace
(612) 452-5000
Fax (612) 452-5550
. . .
Joel J. Jamnik
Andrea McDowell Poehler
lvLmhew K. Brokl*
John F. Kelly
Matthew J. Foli
lYbrguerite M. McCarron
George T. Stephenson
Author's Direct Dial: 234-6215
March 24, 1998
*AI,ll!k'l'll'id Hl W"l.\l,m,m
BY FAX AND MAIL
( )ft.:rIlHl\t'1
c;,ny G. Fuchs
Mr. Don Ashworth
City of Chanhassen
690 Coulter Drive, Box 147
Chanhassen, MN 55317
RE: BOARD OF REVIEW
Dear Don:
Enclosed is a copy of Minn. Stat. ~ 274.01. The City has three options:
· The City Council acts as the Board of Review.
· The City Council may appoint a Special Board of Review. The statute prescribes no
time lines or procedure for making the appointment. The only requirement is that at
least one member of the Board be an appraiser, realtor, or other person familiar with
property valuations in the City.
· Transfer the duties to the County Board. The County must be notified by December 1st
of any year to be effective for the following year. Public notice must be given of the
City Council meeting at which the action will be taken.
Please call if you have any questions.
Very truly yours,
RNK:sm
Enclosure
Roger N. Knutson
Suite 317 · Eagandale Officl: Center · 1380 Corpor~lte Center Curve · Eagan, MN 55121
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274.01 ASSESSMENTS; REVIEW, CORRECDON, EQUALIZATION
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CHAPTER 274
ASSESSMENTS; REVIEW, CORRECTION,
EQUALIZATION
274.01
Board of review.
County board of equalization.
274.13
274.01 BOARD OF REVIEW.
Subdivision 1. Ordinary board; meetings, deadlines, grievances. (a) The town board
of a town, orthe council or other governing body of a city, is the board of review except (1) in
cities whose charters provide for a board of equalization or (2) in any city or town that has
transferred its local board of review power and duties to the county board as provided in sub-
di vision 3. The county assessor shall fix a day and time when the board or the board of equal-
ization shall meet in the assessment districts of the county. On or before February 15 of each
year the assessor shall give written notice of the time to the city or town clerk. Notwithstand-
ing the provisions of any charter to the contrary, the meetings must be held between April I
and May 31 each year. The clerk shall give published and posted notice of the meeting at least
ten days before the date of the meeting.
If in any county, at least 25 percent of the total net tax capacity of a city or town is non-
commercial seasonal residential recreational property classified under section 273.13, sub-
division 25, the county must hold two countywide informational meetings on Saturdays. The
meetings will allow noncommercial seasonal residential recreational taxpayers to discuss
their property valuation with the appropriate assessment staff. These Saturday informational
meetings must be scheduled to allow the owner of the noncommercial seasonal residential
recreational property the opportunity to attend one of the meetings prior to the scheduled
board of review for their city or town. The Saturday meeting dates must be contained on the
notice of valuation of real property under section 273.121.
The board shall meet at the office of the clerk to review the assessment and classifica-
tion of property in the town or city. No changes in valuation or classification which are in-
tended to correct errors injudgment by the county assessor may be made by the county asses-
sor after the board of review in those cities or towns that hold a local board of review; howev-
er, corrections of errors that are merely clerical in nature or changes that extend homestead
treatment to property are permitted after adjournment until the tax extension date for that as-
sessment year. The changes must be fully docum<::l1ted and maintained in the assessor's of-
fice and must be available for review by any person. A copy of the changes made during this
period in those cities or towns that hold a local board of review must be sent to the county
board no later than December 31 of the assessment year.
(b) The board shall determine whether the taxable property in the town or city has been
properly placed on the list and properly valued by the assessor. If real or personal property
has been omitted, the board shall place it on the list with its market value, and correct the
assessment so that each tract or lot of real property, and each article, parcel, or class of per-
sonal property, is entered on the assessment list at its market value. No assessment of the
property of any person may be raised unless the person has been duly notified of the intent of
the board to do so. On application of any person feeling aggrieved, the board shall review the
assessment or classification, or both, and correct it as appears just.
(c) A local board of review may reduce assessments upon petition of the taxpayer but
the total reductions must not reduce the aggregate assessment made by the county assessor by
more than one percent. If the total reductions would lower the aggregate assessments made
by the county assessor by more than one percent, none of the adjustments may be made. The
assessor shall correct any clerical errors or double assessments discovered by the board of
review without regard to the one percent limitation.
(d) A majority of the members may act at the meeting, and adjourn from day to day until
they finish hearing the cases presented. The assessor shall attend, with the assessment books
and papers, and take part in the proceedings, but must not vote. The county assessor, or an
assistant delegated by the county assessor shall attend the meetings. The board shall list sepa-
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ASSESsMEN1S; REVIEW, CORRECnON, EQUALIZATION
274.13
rately, on a form appended to the assessment book, all omitted property added to the list by
the board and all items of property increased or decreased, with the market value of each item
of property, added or changed by the board, placed opposite the item. The county assessor
shall enter all changes made by the board in the assessment book.
(e) Except as provided in subdivision 3, if a person fails to appear in person, by counsel,
or by written communication before the board after being duly notified of the board's intent
to raise the assessment of the property, or if a person feeling aggrieved by an assessment or
classification fails to apply for a review of the assessment or classification, the person may
not appear before the county board of equalization for a review of the assessment or classifi-
cation. This paragraph does not apply if an assessment was made after the board meeting, as
provided in section 273.0 I, or if the person can establish not having received notice of market
value at least five days before the local board of review meeting.
(f) The board of review or the board of equalization must complete its work and adjourn
wi thin 20 days from the time of cc;mvening stated in the notice of the clerk, unless a longer
period is approved by the commissioner of revenue. No action taken after that date is valid.
All complaints about an assessment or classification made after the meeting of the board
must be heard and determined by the county board of equalization. A nonresident may, at any
time, before the meeting of the board of review file written objections to an assessment or
classification with the county assessor. The objections must be presented to the board of re-
view at its meeting by the county assessor for its consideration.
Subd. 2. Special board; duties delegated. The governing body of a city, including a
city whose charter provides for a board of equalization, may appoint a special board of re-
view. The city may delegate to the special board of review all of the powers and duties in
subdivision 1. The special board of review shall serve at the direction and discretion of the ,
appointing body, subject to the restrictions imposed by law. The appointing body shall deter- ~
mine the number of members of the board, the compensation and expenses to be paid, and the
term of office of each member. t e member of the s cial board of review must be an
a raiser rea r or other ersonfamiliarwith ro ert valuations in the assessment district.
Subd. 3. Local board duties transferred to county. The town board of any town or the
governing body of any home rule charter or statutory city may transfer its powers and duties
under subdivision I to the county board, and no longer perform the function of a local board.
Before the town board or the governing body of a city transfers the powers and duties to the
county board, the town board or city's governing body hall ive ublic notice of the meeting
at which the proposal for transfer is to be considered. The pu lie notice s all follow the pro-
cedure contained in section 471.705, subdivision Ic. para,graph (b). A transfer of duties as '\
permitted under this subdiviSion must be communicated to the county assessor, in writing, \J
before December I of any year to be effective for the following year's assessment. This trans-
fer of duties to thecounty may either be permanent or for a specified number of years, pro-
vided that the transfer cannot be for less than three years. Its length must be stated in writing.
A town or city may renew its option to transfer. The option to transfer duties under this subdi-
vision is only available to a town or city whose assessment is done by the county.
History: 1997 c 231 art 2 s 23
214.13 COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION.
[For text ofsubds 1 and la, see M.S. 1996]
Subd. I b. Assessment changes. No changes in valuation or classification that are in-
ended to ~orrect errors in judgment by the county assessor may be made by the county asses-
.or after the county board of equalization has adjourned; however, corrections of errors that
Ire merely clerical in nature or changes that extend homestead treatment to property are per-
nitted after adjournment until the tax extension date for that assessment year. The changes
nust be fully documented and maintained in the assessor's office and must be available for
eview by any person.
Subd. 1 C. Alternative review option. The county shall notify taxpayers whose town or
'ity elected to transfer its powers and duties under section 274.0 I to the county. Prior to the
ime of the county board of equalization, the county shall make available to those taxpayers a