Berkeley waiting for Sanford on reassessment cap
BY WARREN WISE
Of The Post and Courier Staff
MONCKS CORNER--In April, Stewart Powell Jr. was among the first to complain that Berkeley County's property reassessment notices were too high.
On Monday, the St. Stephen resident was rejoicing.
Berkeley County Council gave the initial OK on Monday to postponing until 2005 the five-year ritual of re-evaluating the value, and tax bill, for everyone's property.
It wasn't because Powell, like about 3,000 other property owners across the county, appealed the average 43 percent spike in their property values over the past five years.
Council acted after lawmakers tacked a last-minute item onto a bill that capped reassessed real property values at 20 percent. They say it's too late in the process to modify computer programs to reflect the tax cap.
Also leaving the county in limbo is the fact that the bill needs the signature of Gov. Mark Sanford, who has until January to act on it. He continues to review the bill, a spokesman said.
"We don't know what the governor will sign and not sign," county Supervisor Jim Rozier said. "Either way, it could be a huge fiasco for the county. We're asking that (reassessment) be delayed a year."
Powell thinks council did the right thing.
"I think it's great that everybody is going to pause and take another look at this thing," the St. Stephen businessman said. "I personally feel like there are some inequities in the appraisals."
He doesn't believe home values in economically depressed parts of the county such as St. Stephen should rise as much or more than those in thriving areas such as Daniel Island or Goose Creek.
Powell appealed the 47 percent rise in his 3,500-square-foot home's reassessed value of $184,000, up from $126,000 in 1999.
The delay most likely means his appeal won't be heard until next year, when 65,000 new notices will have to be mailed out if the governor signs the bill, which requires the county to show capped and market values for all properties.
If the bill is vetoed, county Tax Assessor Ronnie Williams said the county could start hearing appeals immediately thereafter.
County taxpayers who are unhappy with their reassessment notices have until June 30 to appeal.
Those appeals, Williams said, will be kept on file until the governor acts.
If Sanford signs the 20 percent cap, the county will have to send out new notices, and taxpayers will have to file new appeals next year based on the new reassessments.
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