Berkeley County Council will decide Monday whether to postpone reassessment for one year.

County Tax Assessor Ronnie Williams asked County Council to delay the mandatory five-year project after the state Legislature earlier this month passed a bill that caps reassessed real property values at 20 percent.

The legislation, handled in the waning days of the Senate session, left Berkeley officials uncertain about how it will affect tens of thousands of property owners since Berkeley and several other counties are in the throes of reassessment. The bill still awaits the signature of Gov. Mark Sanford, and he has until January to act on it.

Council members are considering the reassessment delay partly because of the complex process of modifying the computer programs to reflect the cap. Property tax bills go out Oct. 1, Supervisor Jim Rozier said.

"The governor is continuing to review the bill," governor's spokesman Will Folks said Monday. He gave little indication of when Sanford would act on it, except to say, "prior to January."Counties must undergo reassessment every five years to reflect growth and keep real property taxes on as even a keel as possible.

If Berkeley County Council approves the delay, the 77,000 property tax notices that go out in October will reflect 1999 property values, Williams said.

All new construction since 1999 would be taxed at the old rate as well, he said.

If the governor signs the bill and the county postpones reassessment for one year, the county will have to again mail reassessment notices next year because the law requires the county to show the capped value and the market value of all properties.

"That will be another expense that we have not budgeted for," Williams said.

It cost the county more than $20,000 to mail reassessment notices in April. The notices shocked many property owners, with property value increases as high as 76 percent since 1999.

About 3,000 property owners, or 4 percent, have filed appeals so far, Williams said. Property owners have until June 30 to register an appeal if they disagree with the reassessed value of their homes or businesses.

Five years ago, between 5 percent and 6 percent of Berkeley property owners filed appeals, Williams said.

If the county postpones reassessment, Williams recommends that property owners who are unhappy with the reassessed values file an appeal before the deadline. Those appeals, he said, would be kept on file until new notices go out next year, should the governor sign the bill.

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