An irate group of northeast Edmonton House and Condo owners hopes a city pledge to take a second look at property assessments will reduce massive tax hikes they are facing.

While the value of the average local single-family home dropped 12.9 per cent last year, people in the Quarry Ridge subdivision were shocked to find substantial increases for their houses on assessment notices sent out in January.

“We’re in a recession. Property values have gone down around the city,” homeowner Audrey Boychuk said Monday.

“Our property value went up $145,000, from $703,500 to $845,000 … everyone’s went up in this area.”

About 200 people in the neighbourhood near 167th Avenue and 1st Street went to a meeting with assessment officials and the Ward 3 councillors at the end of January to demand an explanation, she said.

While Boychuk wasn’t satisfied with what she was told, the city sent out a letter last week indicating it will have an

assessor re-examine the properties and ensure values set as of last July 1, as required by provincial law, are correct.

“It’s not doctors and lawyers out here. There are nice homes, bungalows, two- storeys,” said Boychuk, who plans to abide by the assessor’s findings.

“It’s just an exorbitant amount to pay without questioning it. Our (estimated) taxes went up $1,200 from last year. Just please explain to me. I want to know.”

But the only way to ensure any changes have an impact on 2009 taxes is to file an assessment appeal by today’s deadline, which Boychuk thinks most of the approximately 200 people in her area have done.

Rod Risling, manager of the assessment and taxation branch, said he has directed a term employee to visit properties in the neighbourhood to review the assessments.

While the values in Quarry Ridge were up about 20 per cent this year, they rose 26.1 per cent in 2008 compared to 65 per cent for Edmonton as a whole, and had a lower-than-average increase the previous year as well, he said.

The only other district to voice assessment concerns was in the rural southwest Windermere area, where he met with about 25 people, he said.

Risling hopes to use extra staff approved in the city budget to start reinspecting neighbourhoods to ensure the information on file about individual homes is accurate.

He urged those who don’t think their assessments are correct to call the city or file an appeal.

If values are wrong, a proper figure can be provided and the appeal withdrawn, or the city will give the new number to the assessment review board, he said.

So far, 1,840 assessment appeals have been filed for all types of properties, and that number is expected to grow once all the paperwork is processed, say city officials. Last year saw 7,019 appeals.

Coun. Ed Gibbons said it appears the rise in Quarry Ridge values is part of the normal fluctuations in real estate.

“If there’s a mistake, we’re going to fix it,” he said.

Source - Edmonton Journal