2015 ANNUAL REPORT -...
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2015 ANNUAL REPORT
OFFICE OFPOLK COUNTY
ASSESSOR
Message from the Assessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Our Mission and Our Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Polk County Conference Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Staff of County Assessor’s Office, Members of Boardof Review and Board of Examiners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Abstract of 2015 Assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Assessment Roll by Property Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Total Valuation by Class and Taxable Valuation by Class . . . . . . . . .9
Property Tax Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
History of Assessment Rolls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Summary of Valuation by Jurisdiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Summary of Parcel Counts by Class and Jurisdiction . . . . . . . . . 13
Property Tax Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Exempt Property as of July 1, 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Actions by 2015 Board of Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
History of Assessment Protests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
History of Assessment Appeals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Residential Property Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Residential Property Sales Statistics by City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
TABLE OF CONTENTSJURISDICTION PARCELS ACRESAlleman 214 1,503Allen Twp 249 2,920Altoona 5,939 4,465Ankeny 20,998 13,036Beaver Twp 575 13,026Bloomfield Twp 6 26Bondurant 1,961 4,729Camp Twp 1,150 19,424Carlisle 92 1,897Clay Twp 566 6,883
JURISDICTION PARCELS ACRESClive 3,818 2,051Crocker Twp 1,625 8,023Delaware 1,850 5,780Des Moines 74,626 31,106Douglas Twp 710 17,967Elkhart 304 935Elkhart Twp 675 20,898Four Mile Twp 1,068 5,638Franklin Twp 868 14,759Granger 109 82
JURISDICTION PARCELS ACRESGrimes 4,899 5,389Jefferson Twp 987 9,236Johnston 7,425 10,408Lincoln Twp 466 20,319Madison Twp 138 4,119Mitchellville 716 1,106Norwalk 1 6Pleasant Hill 3,403 4,924Polk City 1,793 1,929Runnells 223 210
JURISDICTION PARCELS ACRESSaylor Twp 3,079 6,286Sheldahl 92 149Union Twp 281 9,027Urbandale 12,305 6,649Washington Twp 486 19,266Webster Twp 366 537West Des Moines 15,121 10,475Windsor Heights 2,102 662TOTAL 171,286 279,172
POLK COUNTY PARCEL COUNT AND ACRE TOTALS EXCLUDING ROADS AND RAILROADS
POLK COUNTY TAX DISTRICTS 2015 ANNUAL REPORT
2 2015 ANNUAL REPORT
MESSAGE FROM THE ASSESSOR
A major change implemented
for 2015 involved identifying
and reclassifying those properties
that fall under the new
multiresidential classification
(apartments, mobile home parks,
manufactured home communities,
land-leased communities and
assisted-living facilities).
OFFICE OF POLK COUNTY ASSESSOR 3
how taxes on a residential property in Des Moines
would have increased substantially the last seven years
(29.2%) while those on a commercial property in Des
Moines would have decreased (–7.8%). Expect this
trend to continue for many years into the future.
The number of protests spiked upward with the
increase in valuations. There were 5,961 protests filed,
which is the largest since 2009. Of the protests filed,
approximately 50% were upheld and 50% were
denied. There were 358 appeals of the Board of
Review’s decisions, with 336 appeals to the Property
Assessment Appeal Board and 22 appeals to the Polk
County District Court.
House File 616 changed many of the dates in the
assessment cycle. Going forward, the protest filing
period is from April 2 to April 30. Informal appeals with
the Assessor are now to be requested from April 2 to
April 25. If the protestant and Assessor come to an
agreement, the Assessor is authorized to change the
assessment after April 1 by entering into a signed
written agreement with the property owner. This is in
addition to the current authority the Assessor has to file
a recommendation for a change to the Board of Review.
In closing, it is important to note this office employs a
talented and dedicated group of people that treats all
property owners and taxpayers with the highest degree
of courtesy and professionalism, and continually strives
to assess every property in a fair and equitable manner.
I am grateful for the opportunity to work with them.
It’s a privilege and honor to serve Polk County as your
Assessor. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you
have any questions or concerns, or would like
additional information.
Sincerely,
Randy Ripperger
Polk County Assessor
Last year I reported the real estate market rebounded in 2014 and was
showing signs of a strong recovery. Because of that, our assessment-to-
market value levels for the various classifications of property fell below the
standards required by Iowa law.
Polk County Conference Board:
On behalf of the dedicated women and men of the
Polk County Assessor’s Office, I am proud to present
this year’s Annual Report.
Last year I reported the real estate market rebounded
in 2014 and was showing signs of a strong recovery.
Because of that, our assessment-to-market value levels
for the various classifications of property fell below the
standards required by Iowa law. In order to avoid an
equalization order from the Director of Revenue, our
office took corrective action by increasing assessments
for 2015, bringing our assessment levels into
compliance. In doing so, the Polk County assessment
roll reached a new milestone in 2015, exceeding $34.4 billion. This represents a 7.1% increase over the
2014 assessment roll, with 4.6% due to revaluation
and 2.5% due to new construction. This is the largest
increase since 2007.
A major change implemented for 2015 involved
identifying and reclassifying those properties that
fall under the new multiresidential classification
(apartments, mobile home parks, manufactured home
communities, land-leased communities and assisted-
living facilities). For the next seven years, these
properties will see their taxable valuations gradually
reduced by the rollback, and in year 2022, they will
have the same rollback as residential property. We have
1,192 parcels with a total assessed valuation of
approximately $1 billion in this category.
Another major change implemented for 2015 allows
some properties to have dual classification. Any
property that has two uses, where the primary use is
either commercial or industrial and the other use is
human habitation, now has two classifications — either
commercial or industrial, along with multiresidential.
Property taxes will be calculated on the valuations
allotted to each of the two classifications and using
different rollback percentages that apply to each
classification. There were 198 parcels that had dual
classification for 2015.
As noted in past annual reports, residential property
owners continue to take on more and more of the tax
burden. The charts on page 10 show an example of
4 2015 ANNUAL REPORT
• Appraise all property for tax purposes fairly andequitably by Iowa law.
• Provide the public with information and service in a complete and courteous manner.
• Encourage and assist employees in professional growth to help meet organizational objectives andincrease individual creativity and confidence in pursuit of personal goals.
• Operate the office in such a manner that methods and procedures are open to scrutiny and understood by the public.
• Use resources efficiently and effectively.
• Be a leader in the field of assessment administration in developing, analyzing, and sharing data with publicand private interests.
OUR MISSION
• Providing the best possible service to our constituents
• Organizational transparency
• Integrity
• Honesty
• Accountability
• Commitment to excellence
• Maintaining the public trust
• Fairness
OUR VALUES
Cour
tesy
: Pict
ure
Des M
oines
OFFICE OF POLK COUNTY ASSESSOR 5
POLK COUNTY CONFERENCE BOARD 2015
MAYORS
Carmella Jones, Alleman
J.M. Skip Conkling, Altoona
Gary Lorenz, Ankeny
Curt Sullivan, Bondurant
Ruth Randleman, Carlisle
Scott Cirksena, Clive
Frank Cownie, Des Moines
Brandon Snyder, Elkhart
Cathy Fuson, Granger
Thomas Armstrong, Grimes
Paula Dierenfeld, Johnston
Jon Woods, Mitchellville
Tom Phillips, Norwalk
Sara Kurovski, Pleasant Hill
Jason Morse, Polk City
Gerald Lane, Runnells
Don Towers, Sheldahl
Bob Andeweg, Urbandale
Steven Gaer, West Des Moines
Diana Willits, Windsor Heights
BOARD OFEDUCATION
Todd Shafer, Ankeny
Chris Freese, Bondurant-Farrar
Jenny Foster, Carlisle
Scott Brown, Dallas C.-Grimes
Connie Boesen, Des Moines
Greg Dockum, Johnston
Brett Bruggeman, North Polk
Brian Bowman, Saydel
Lori Slings, S.E. Polk
Graham Giles, Urbandale
Dr. Vicky Poole, West Des Moines
Derek Petry, Woodward-Granger
BOARD OFSUPERVISORS
Robert Brownell
Angela Connolly
Tom Hockensmith
John Mauro
Steven Van Oort
BOARD OF REVIEW • 10 Member Board
• Conference Board Appointment (six years)
COUNTY ASSESSOR • Conference Board
Appointment
EXAMINING BOARD • Three Member Board
• Each Conference Board
Unit Appoints One
6 2015 ANNUAL REPORT
STAFF OF POLK COUNTY ASSESSOR’S OFFICEMEMBERS OF BOARD OF REVIEW AND BOARD OF EXAMINERS
Des Moines, Iowa — 2015
ADMINISTRATIONRandy Ripperger, CAE, ICA Rodney Hervey, ICA
County Assessor Chief Deputy
Tammy Berenguel, Support SupervisorRhonda Duncan, Supervisor Real Estate Department
Paul Humble, ICA, RES, AAS, Residential Deputy AssessorRuth Larsen, Database Administrator
Kelly Low, Accounting ManagerMark Patterson, CAE, CCIM, ICA, Commercial Deputy Assessor
Amy Rasmussen, ICA, RES, AAS, Director of LitigationMichelle Richards, ICA, Residential Deputy Assessor
Bryon Tack, MAI, CAE, ICA, Director/Commercial Deputy AssessorJames Willett, ICA, RES, Director/Residential Deputy Assessor
APPRAISERSJohn Catron, Residential Appraiser II Regina Russell, Residential Appraiser II
Michael Caulfield, ICA, Commercial Appraiser III Victor Scaglione, Residential Appraiser IRich Colgrove, Residential Appraiser III Cathy Stevens, ICA, RES, Residential Appraiser III
Cary Halfpop, ICA, Commercial Appraiser III Keith Taylor, MPA, RES, ICA, Residential Appraiser IIIPatrick Harmeyer, ICA, Commercial Appraiser II Brett Tierney, Residential Appraiser IMichelle Henderson, Residential Appraiser II Joe Tursi, Appraiser I
Paul O’Connell, Residential Appraiser I Patrick Zaimes, ICA, Agricultural Appraiser Bob Powers, ICA, Commercial Appraiser II
OFFICE PERSONNELCaroyle Andrews, Comm. Support Specialist Kelsi Jurik, Mapping Specialist
Susie Bauer, Permits Coordinator Jill Mauro, Computer Support SpecialistVincent DeAngelis, Tax Information Specialist Jennifer Sanford, Credits Administrator
Kim Heffernan, Support Specialist Julie Van Deest, Exemptions Coordinator
BOARD OF REVIEW BOARD OF EXAMINERSLora Jorgensen Charles Speas Art HedbergDonna Koester John Tiefenthaler Ned MillerJohn Lundstrom Leslie Turner Frank Smith
Ruth O’Brien-German Lee ViggersEverett Sather Max Wright
OFFICE OF POLK COUNTY ASSESSOR 7
ABSTRACT OF 2015 POLK COUNTY ASSESSMENTSAs of July 1, 2015
REAL PROPERTY
Includes over 171,000 Parcels of Taxable Property 100% VALUE
TOWNSHIPS CITIES
Agricultural Lands $246,187,910 $58,827,360
Residential (includes residences on ag property) $1,977,945,160 $22,506,287,630
Commercial Properties $406,833,260 $7,629,524,320
Multiresidential Properties $13,694,460 $1,044,947,960
Industrial Properties $98,328,500 $487,322,290
TOTAL TAXABLE REAL ESTATE* $2,742,989,290 $31,726,909,560
$34,469,898,850
MONEY & CREDITS (100%)
Credit Unions (5 mills) $3,287,126 $36,342,062
* The value does not include utility property assessed by the Department of Revenue.
Any property that has two uses where
the primary use is either commercial
or industrial, and the other use is
human habitation, now has two
classifications — either commercial or
industrial, along with multiresidential.
Property taxes will be calculated
on the valuations allotted to each
of the two classifications and using
different rollback percentages that
apply to each classification. There
were 198 parcels that had dual
classification for 2015.Courtesy: Picture Des Moines
TOTAL VALUATION BY CLASS
As noted on pages 7–8, the 2015 total assessed valuation for Polk County is $34,469,898,850. The chart below shows the distribution of this valuation by class of property.
INDUSTRIAL$585,650,790
2%
RESIDENTIAL$24,484,232,790
71%
AGRICULTURE$305,015,270
1%
TAXABLE VALUATION AFTER ROLLBACK BY CLASS
The rollback affects how the property tax burden is distributed among the various classes. As shown below, residentialproperties currently account for 61% of the tax base. Six years ago residential properties accounted for 53% of thetax base. The shifting of the tax burden to residential property owners should continue for many years into the future.
OFFICE OF POLK COUNTY ASSESSOR 9
*Includes TIF Valuation
ASSESSMENT ROLL BY PROPERTY CLASSIFICATION
ASSESSMENT ROLL VALUE
Property Classification 2015 % of Total 2014 Difference % Change
Residential $24,484,232,790 71.0% $22,962,337,300 $1,521,895,490 6.63%
Commercial* $8,036,357,580 23.3% $8,373,207,200 -$336,849,620 -4.02%Multiresidential* $1,058,642,420 3.1% N/A N/A N/A
Industrial $585,650,790 1.7% $529,465,610 $56,185,180 10.61%
Agricultural $305,015,270 0.9% $315,183,550 -$10,168,280 -3.23%TOTAL $34,469,898,850 100.0% $32,180,193,660 $2,289,705,190 7.12%
* Multiresidential is new for 2015, included with Commercial for 2014.
Polk County has more than 171,000 taxable parcels, with nine out of 10 of them being residential properties.These residential parcels comprise 71% of the total assessed value in Polk County. In 2015, the county added1,706 residential parcels and had a net total gain of 1,840. Overall, the number of parcels increased just over1% and value increased a little over 7%.
PARCEL COUNT
Property Classification 2015 % of Total 2014 Difference % Change
Residential 154,607 90.3% 152,901 1,706 1.12%
Commercial* 9,097 5.3% 10,179 -1,082 -10.63%Multiresidential* 1,192 0.7% N/A N/A N/A
Industrial 629 0.4% 638 -9 -1.41%Agricultural 5,761 3.4% 5,728 33 0.58%
TOTAL 171,286 100.0% 169,446 1,840 1.09%
8 2015 ANNUAL REPORT
COMMERCIAL$8,036,357,580
23%
MULTIPLE RESIDENTIAL$1,058,642,420
3%
RESIDENTIAL$13,619,574,848
61%
COMMERCIAL$7,232,721,822
32%
MULTIPLE RESIDENTIAL$913,079,087
4%
INDUSTRIAL$527,085,711
2%
AGRICULTURE$140,632,781
1%
In 2015, the county added
1,706 residential parcels
and had a net total gain of
1,840. Overall, the number of
parcels increased just over
1% and value increased a
little over 7%.
HISTORY OF ASSESSMENT ROLLS
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
VALUE IN BILLION
S
YEAR
$40
$35
$30
$25
$20
$15
$10
$5
$0
OFFICE OF POLK COUNTY ASSESSOR 11
YEAR TOTAL ASSESSMENT VALUE DOLLAR CHANGE PERCENT CHANGE
2000 $17,474,919,820 $2,259,336,700 14.8%
2001 $19,569,217,090 $2,094,297,270 12.0%
2002 $20,259,776,100 $690,559,010 3.5%
2003 $22,739,660,720 $2,479,884,620 12.2%
2004 $23,533,864,755 $794,204,035 3.5%
2005 $26,240,913,680 $2,707,048,925 11.5%
2006 $27,327,216,270 $1,086,302,590 4.1%
2007 $29,869,657,490 $2,542,441,220 9.3%
2008 $30,734,701,690 $865,044,200 2.9%
2009 $31,526,446,890 $791,745,200 2.6%
2010 $31,989,575,380 $463,128,490 1.5%
2011 $31,076,876,750 –$912,698,630 –2.9%
2012 $31,341,353,890 $264,477,140 0.9%
2013 $31,511,405,530 $170,051,640 0.5%
2014 $32,180,193,660 $668,788,130 2.1%
2015 $34,469,898,850 $2,289,705,190 7.1%
PROPERTY TAX SHIFT RESIDENTIAL TAX VS. COMMERCIAL TAX
VALUATION YEARS 2007–2014
RESIDENTIAL — $200,000 ASSESSED VALUE — DES MOINES
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
$4,113 $4,123 $4,248 $4,463 $4,722 $4,954 $5,121 $5,314
AMOU
NT OF TAX
YEAR
5,500
5,250
5,000
4,750
4,500
4,250
4,000
3,500
3,000
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
$9,307 $9,045 $9,056 $9,196 $9,304 $9,379 $8,943 $8,581
AMOU
NT OF TAX
YEAR
9,500
9,250
9,000
8,750
8,500
8,250
8,000
• Assumes assessed value of $200,000 each year• Does not include the residential homestead credit (2014 = $231) • Does not include the commercial business property tax credit (new for 2014 = $3,004)
RESIDENTIAL TAX 2007–2014 +29.2% or +4.2% per year
COMMERCIAL TAX 2007–2014 –7.8% or –1.1% per year
10 2015 ANNUAL REPORT
COMMERCIAL — $200,000 ASSESSED VALUE — DES MOINES
OFFICE OF POLK COUNTY ASSESSOR 13
SUMMARY OF PARCEL COUNTS BY CLASS AND JURISDICTION
TOWNSHIPS RESIDENTIAL AGRICULTURAL COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL MULTIRESIDENTIAL TOTAL
Allen Township 174 70 5 0 0 249
Beaver Township 276 291 8 0 0 575
Bloomfield Township 4 2 0 0 0 6
Camp Township 546 594 8 1 1 1,150
Clay Township 354 204 6 2 0 566
Crocker Township 1,504 105 16 0 0 1,625
Delaware Township 1,619 158 63 4 6 1,850
Douglas Township 352 351 6 0 1 710
Elkhart Township 243 426 6 0 0 675
Four mile Township 881 179 8 0 0 1,068
Franklin Township 488 378 2 0 0 868
Jefferson Township 793 187 7 0 0 987
Lincoln Township 86 375 5 0 0 466
Madison Township 46 89 3 0 0 138
Saylor Township 2,322 75 621 47 14 3,079
Union Township 80 201 0 0 0 281
Washington Township 112 373 1 0 0 486
Webster Township 347 4 14 0 1 366
CITIES RESIDENTIAL AGRICULTURAL COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL MULTIRESIDENTIAL TOTAL
Alleman 165 27 22 0 0 214
Altoona 5,532 104 263 12 28 5,939
Ankeny 19,894 299 720 31 54 20,998
Bondurant 1,754 108 91 3 5 1,961
Carlisle 28 61 2 1 0 92
Clive 3,466 1 323 9 19 3,818
Des Moines 68,637 354 4,343 418 874 74,626
Elkhart 247 26 28 1 2 304
Granger 106 3 0 0 0 109
Grimes 4,342 185 341 13 18 4,899
Johnston 6,987 117 304 9 8 7,425
Mitchellville 628 28 40 4 16 716
Norwalk 0 1 0 0 0 1
Pleasant Hill 3,119 108 153 13 10 3,403
Polk City 1,696 30 62 0 5 1,793
Runnells 196 7 19 0 1 223
Sheldahl 73 15 4 0 0 92
Urbandale 11,466 100 682 18 39 12,305
West Des Moines 14,036 125 838 43 79 15,121
Windsor Heights 2,008 0 83 0 11 2,102
POLK COUNTY 154,607 5,761 9,097 629 1,192 171,286
SUMMARY OF VALUATION BY JURISDICTION
TOWNSHIPS 2014 2015 % CHANGE PERCENT OF CURRENT ROLL
Allen Township $19,696,650 $19,104,830 -3.0% 0.1%
Beaver Township $88,746,260 $91,635,270 3.3% 0.3%
Bloomfield Township $1,115,620 $1,389,000 24.5% 0.0%
Camp Township $152,827,990 $160,570,260 5.1% 0.5%
Clay Township $92,933,890 $100,867,970 8.5% 0.3%
Crocker Township $356,346,950 $375,393,040 5.3% 1.1%
Delaware Township $218,975,500 $224,567,650 2.6% 0.7%
Douglas Township $123,982,460 $127,242,190 2.6% 0.4%
Elkhart Township $99,772,420 $99,692,680 –0.1% 0.3%
Four mile Township $173,700,210 $169,474,480 –2.4% 0.5%
Franklin Township $138,641,290 $143,004,230 3.1% 0.4%
Jefferson Township $227,538,710 $242,001,310 6.4% 0.7%
Lincoln Township $63,987,610 $62,561,450 –2.2% 0.2%
Madison Township $21,886,320 $23,223,520 6.1% 0.1%
Saylor Township $677,906,400 $746,838,170 10.2% 2.2%
Union Township $39,322,410 $38,416,290 –2.3% 0.1%
Washington Township $56,530,650 $55,650,300 –1.6% 0.2%
Webster Township $56,595,150 $61,356,650 8.4% 0.2%
12 2015 ANNUAL REPORT
CITIES 2014 2015 % CHANGE PERCENT OF CURRENT ROLL
Alleman $33,052,220 $34,361,400 4.0% 0.1%
Altoona $1,265,625,460 $1,453,147,690 14.8% 4.2%
Ankeny $4,139,837,250 $4,621,090,440 11.6% 13.4%
Bondurant $284,404,950 $317,524,040 11.6% 0.9%
Carlisle $17,548,340 $17,897,740 2.0% 0.1%
Clive $1,339,094,250 $1,403,504,720 4.8% 4.1%
Des Moines $10,972,698,230 $11,494,545,860 4.8% 33.3%
Elkhart $30,041,530 $32,584,370 8.5% 0.1%
Granger $20,694,090 $22,385,920 8.2% 0.1%
Grimes $826,474,250 $953,205,220 15.3% 2.8%
Johnston $1,995,164,770 $2,161,113,230 8.3% 6.3%
Mitchellville $75,282,510 $78,117,390 3.8% 0.2%
Norwalk $5,380 $5,150 –4.3% 0.0%
Pleasant Hill $651,212,450 $683,511,720 5.0% 2.0%
Polk City $304,333,510 $340,224,000 11.8% 1.0%
Runnells $21,982,840 $21,998,820 0.1% 0.1%
Sheldahl $7,399,550 $7,471,140 1.0% 0.0%
Urbandale $3,156,319,860 $3,317,222,760 5.1% 9.6%
West Des Moines $4,049,331,760 $4,374,451,780 8.0% 12.7%
Windsor Heights $379,183,970 $392,546,170 3.5% 1.1%
TOTAL VALUE $32,180,193,660 $34,469,898,850 7.1% 100.0%
OFFICE OF POLK COUNTY ASSESSOR 15
EXEMPT PROPERTY AS OF JULY 1, 2015POLK COUNTY
Religious Institutions
Churches & Church Headquarters $596,884,910
Parsonages $15,792,080
Recreational Property, Church Camps, etc. $151,212,760
Literary Societies
Community Playhouse $17,536,180
Low-rent Housing
Dwellings & Apartments $55,836,790
Veterans Organizations $2,205,280
Charitable & Benevolent Societies
Hospitals $470,865,250
Fraternal Organizations $14,702,470
Agricultural Societies $11,110,130
Retirement & Nursing Homes $100,857,800
Others (YMCA, YWCA, etc.) $346,371,310
Educational Institutions & Church Schools $396,433,980
Pollution Control (Industrial M & E and Bldgs.) $7,523,910
Urban Revitalization Tax Exemption $591,871,010
Industrial Partial Exemption $67,188,790
Natural Conservation $2,495,450
Forest & Fruit Tree Preservation (6,759.08 acres) $26,694,470
Native Prairie And Wetlands $190,990
Jobs/Income $77,419,770
Impoundments $21,040
Manufactured Home/Storm Shelters $350,800
Geothermal Systems $619,640
TOTAL EXEMPT PROPERTY $2,954,184,810
PROPERTY TAX TIMELINE
14 2015 ANNUAL REPORT
The assessment cycle is a lengthy one. The cycle required each time property is assessed is outlined below.
Step Date
1 Jan. 1 Appraisal date for assessments.
2 Feb. 1 Applications for exemptions due.
3 March 15 Deadline to apply for the commercial property tax credit (deadline is July 1 beginning in 2016).
4 April 1 Assessors complete assessments and notify taxpayers.
5 April 2 -25 Property owners can request an informal hearing with the Assessor. Property owner and Assessor can enter into a written agreement to change the assessment.
6 April 2 -30 Taxpayers may appeal assessments to local boards of review.
7 May 1–31 Board of Review in session to consider appeals. This time may be extended to July 15.
8 June 15 Board of Review report due to the Director of Revenue.
9 July 1 Abstract of the assessment is due to the Director of Revenue. Application deadline for homestead credit, disabled veteran tax credit, and military exemption.
10 Aug. 15 The Director issues tentative equalization notices to county auditors in odd-numbered years.
11 Aug. 25–Sept. 30 The Director holds equalization hearings, which are held for public input.
12 Oct. 1 The Director issues final equalization orders to county auditors.
13 Oct. 1–10 Assessing jurisdictions may apply for alternative methods of implementing equalization orders.
14 Oct. 8 The county auditor publishes notices of the final equalization order. If valuation is increased by an equalization order, notification by mail by Oct. 8 is required.
15 Oct.9–31 Taxpayers may protest the final equalization order to local boards of review.
16 Oct. 10–Nov. 15 Local boards of review meet to hear equalization protests.
17 Nov. 1 The Director certifies assessment limitation percentages to county auditors.
18 Nov. 15 Local boards of review submit a report about the equalization protests to the Department.
19 Dec. 1–Feb. 28 The taxing authorities adopt the budgets based on the valuations.
20 March 1 The county board of supervisors levies the taxes.
21 July 1 The county treasurer receives authorization to collect taxes.
22 Sept. 30 First half of taxes due.
23 March 31 Second half of taxes due.
The following table outlines the
property assessment cycle.
IOWA PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENT CYCLE
Source: Iowa Department of Revenue
OFFICE OF POLK COUNTY ASSESSOR 17
HISTORY OF ASSESSMENT PROTESTS
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
ASSESS
MEN
T PR
OTESTS FILED
YEAR
10,000
9,000
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
ASSESSMENT PROTESTS
Assessment Year Protests Filed2000 406
2001 7,975
2002 909
2003 9,716
2004 596
2005 8,899
2006 904
2007 7,200
2008 1,054
2009 7,573
2010 1,729
2011 5,278
2012 1,905
2013 3,519
2014 946
2015 5,961
Property owners have the right to protest their
property’s valuation to the Board of Review.
The Board of Review is an independent board
composed of 10 private citizens appointed by
the Conference Board.
The Board of Review considers all evidence
presented by the property owner and the
Assessor’s office at a hearing and then issues a
decision on the value of the property in question.
16 2015 ANNUAL REPORT
ACTIONS BY 2015 BOARD OF REVIEWNUMBER OF DAYS IN SESSION: 25
Number of protests filed for each class of property and the number of protests upheld and denied for each class.A protest is considered upheld if even a partial reduction in the assessment was made.
CLASS NUMBER OF PROTESTS NUMBER UPHELD NUMBER DENIED
Agricultural 20 9 11
Residential Dwelling on Agricultural Realty 13 6 7
Residential “outside incorporated cities” 296 142 154
Residential “within incorporated cities” 4,393 2,162 2,231
Commercial 1,017 539 478
Industrial 45 32 13
Multiresidential 177 100 77
Total 5,961 2,990 2,971
Number of assessments raised or lowered by the Board of Review acting upon its own initiative.
CLASS NUMBER OF INCREASES NUMBER DECREASES
Agricultural 0 1
Residential Dwelling on Agricultural Realty 0 1
Residential “outside incorporated cities” 4 1
Residential “within incorporated cities” 103 56
Commercial 2 13
Industrial 1 1
Multiresidential 5 3
Total 115 76
The total amount of assessed valuation by which the original 2015 valuations were increased or decreased for each class of property.
CLASS NET INCREASE OR DECREASE
Agricultural –725,580
Residential Dwelling on Agricultural Realty –204,100
Residential “outside incorporated cities” –2,612,500
Residential “within incorporated cities” –39,850,540
Commercial –129,228,900
Industrial –11,013,500
Multiresidential –10,864,100
Total –194,499,220
OFFICE OF POLK COUNTY ASSESSOR 19
RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY SALES
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
NUMBER OF SALES
YEAR
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
MEDIAN SALE PR
ICE
SALE YEAR
$170,000
$165,000
$160,000
$155,000
$150,000
$145,000
$140,000
$135,000
$130,000
$125,000
$120,000
RESIDENTIAL SALES BY YEAR
MEDIAN SALE PRICE OF SINGLE FAMILY HOMES
18 2015 ANNUAL REPORT
HISTORY OF ASSESSMENT APPEALS
APPEALS FILED
Year District Court PAAB TOTAL2000 26 26
2001 149 149
2002 40 40
2003 454 454
2004 75 75
2005 253 253
2006 93 93
2007 116 275 391
2008 10 62 72
2009 43 540 583
2010 7 140 147
2011 37 426 463
2012 3 124 127
2013 42 183 225
2014 2 54 56
2015 22 336 358
If a property owner is not satisfied with the
Board of Review’s decision, the owner has a
right to appeal the decision either to the
District Court of Polk County or to the Iowa
Property Assessment Appeal Board (PAAB).
The PAAB came into existence in 2007 and
has since taken on the majority of the
appeal workload.
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
ASSESS
MEN
T AP
PEALS FILED
YEAR
600
550
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
PAAB
DISTRICTCOURT
DISTRICT COURT VS. PROPERTY ASSESSMENT APPEAL BOARD
RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY SALES STATISTICS BY CITY
20 2015 ANNUAL REPORT
MEDIAN SALES RATIO
CITY
Alleman
Altoona
Ankeny
Bondurant
Carlisle
Clive
Des Moines
Elkhart
Granger
Grim
es
Johnston
Mitc
hellville
Pleasant Hill
Polk City
Runnells
Sheldahl
Urbandale
West D
es Moines
Windsor Heights
101%
100%
99%
98%
97%
96%
95%
94%
93%
92%
91%
90%
89%
88%
Jurisdiction Number Of Sales Median Sales RatioAlleman 4 99.97
Altoona 336 95.63
Ankeny 1,359 94.45
Bondurant 83 92.96
Carlisle 1 91.99
Clive 146 94.50
Des Moines 2,864 96.23
Elkhart 12 88.58
Granger 7 91.76
Grimes 268 94.26
Johnston 324 94.55
Mitchellville 18 100.16
Pleasant Hill 150 95.08
Polk City 60 91.16
Runnells 12 93.59
Sheldahl 3 93.67
Urbandale 580 93.89
West Des Moines 697 94.01
Windsor Heights 105 93.51
2015 MEDIAN SALES RATIO BY CITY
INSIDE BACK COVER BLANK
2015 MEDIAN SALES RATIO BY CITY
Randy Ripperger | Polk County Assessor111 Court Avenue #195Des Moines, IA 50309-0904(515) 286-3014 OFFICE | (515) 286-3386 [email protected]
OFFICE OF POLK COUNTY
ASSESSOR