COM 0027.000 2020-2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2020 Annual Report I Real Property Tax Board of Review years as this program does not allow new applicants into this program therefore is not considered to be fair and equitable. It is our understanding when the County Council approved the 3% CAP and additional 20% homeowner; exemption (up to $805.000) there was discussion to have this program completely repealed however it ended up being an "optional out" for those in the program. There are currently 483 parcels in this program. The impact to the real property tax revenue in tax year 2020 based on the current frozen non spec values would be $23,000 total. In addition, the County will save approximately $4,400 per year in staff time which was allocated to the administering of this program. " The Board further discussed that many of the homeowners that are currently in this program are elderly and have a greater chance of breaching the conditions of the program which results in a significant rollback amount being owed. A breach of the program results in a retroactive assessment and is define as 1.) "the amount that should have been owed without the dedication less the amount actually paid back to the date of renewal, plus 10% penalty. 2.) "if sold by conveyance, the retroactive assessment (for the last year) is the higher of either the sale price or the market value." The Board believes the Non -Speculative Residential Program should no longer exist because the homeowners class, exemptions and other programs have taken its place. At the very least, any changes in the Hawaii County Code should include a provision whereby the frozen base value of each affected parcel for the first year be the lowest of: a. the frozen value; b. the market value; c. the 2004 market value times three percent (3%) a year until present if the property had the same owner since 2004; or d. the market value of the property at the time of purchase after 2004 times three percent (3%) per year until the present. 2. The Board strongly recommends that the Hawaii County Code be amended to change the $50.00 appeal fee to be non-refundable. Close Chairperson's Comments I first would like to thank Board Member, Emygrace (Grace) Reinhard, whose term expires at the end of this year, for her 4 -years of dedication and service on the Real Property Tax Board of Review. Her professionalism and knowledgeable contributions at every meeting will be greatly missed. We wish her all the best. As I reflect on this year as Chairperson of the Board, it is clear how imperative continuous education and training provided to the Board is, especially for newer members, in order to make informed decisions at the hearings. I have been on the Board for three years now and still find the Workshop session held annually just before the start of the appeal season to be very informative and beneficial to me and my fellow board members and would welcome additional educational sessions throughout the year. Hawai `i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer 5