Board of Appeal and Equalization

Mayor BOARD OF APPEAL AND EQUALIZATION Amáda Márquez Simula Councilmembers City Hall—Council Chambers, 590 40th Ave NE John Murzyn, Jr. Monday, April 26, 2021 Connie Buesgens 6:00 PM Nick Novitsky Kt Jacobs City Manager MINUTES Kelli Bourgeois The following are the minutes for the Columbia Heights Board of Appeal and Equalization Meeting held at 6:00 pm on Monday, April 26, 2021 in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 590 40 th Avenue NE, Columbia Heights, Minnesota. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this hybrid meeting was held both virtually and in-person. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Mayor Márquez Simula called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. Present: Mayor Márquez Simula; Councilmember Buesgens; Councilmember Jacobs; Councilmember Murzyn, Jr. Absent: Councilmember Novitsky Also Present: Kelli Bourgeois, City Manager; Brandon Hodge, Anoka County Residential Appraiser; Jim Hughes, Anoka County Senior/Commercial Appraiser; Diana Stellmach, Anoka County Deputy County Assessor; Nicole Tingley, City Clerk; Julia Zhou MEETING ITEMS 1. Statement of Purpose of the Board of Review Mayor Márquez Simula read the Statement of Purpose of the Board of Review as follows: “To review the property valuations as of January 2, 2021, for taxes payable 2022, and to hear appeals from property owners who feel aggrieved or have questions regarding property valuations” 2. Introduction City Manager Bourgeois introduced the Anoka County Appraisers present. Deputy County Appraiser Stellmach gave an overview of the 2021 Assessors Report. Stellmach stated that generally the residential market has had a steep incline. She also noted that Anoka County has concerns regarding commercial and industrial properties, but they had not yet seen the sales that might fall out due to COVID-19 pandemic. Stellmach stated that she also has a list of parcels that were reviewed within 10 days of the meeting and statutorily they need to be read in. 3. Questions and Answers Regarding Property Values Ms. Zhou expressed concerns regarding the increase in valuation of two properties that she owns. The first one was 4111 Central Avenue NE (PID 36-30-24-23-0149) which is a multi- tenant office building. Zhou noted that she has vacancies within the building as businesses are closing and fewer businesses are looking for office spaces. Zhou added that last year City of Columbia Heights MINUTES April 26, 2021 Board of Appeal and Equalization Page 2 the valuation increased 10% and this year the valuation increased another 13-15% even though sales went down. Deputy County Appraiser Stellmach stated that she thinks that the appraisers should review the property regarding vacancies. She stated that the she could review the property with Senior/Commercial Appraiser Hughes and the board would have to reconvene or they could direct the County to review it and if the property owner is not happy with the results she could appeal to the Anoka County Board of Appeals. The Board directed Anoka County to review the property 4111 Central Avenue NE. The next property Zhou expressed concerns regarding the increase in valuation was 1480 47th Avenue NE (PID 25-30-24-34-0039) which is an apartment building. Zhou noted that there are vacancies in the building. Additionally, some tenants are not paying rent and she is not able to evict them currently due to Minnesota's eviction moratorium. Zhou added that the valuation increased 22.2%. Deputy County Appraiser Stellmach stated that she thinks that the appraisers should review the property regarding vacancies. She stated that the she could review the property with Anoka County appraiser who specializes in apartments (not present at the meeting) and the board would have to reconvene or they could direct the County to review it and if the property owner is not happy with the results she could appeal to the Anoka County Board of Appeals. The Board directed Anoka County to review the property 1480 Central Avenue NE. 4. Council Actions Regarding Specific Cases or Cases on which Additional Information is Required Deputy County Appraiser Stellmach stated there are two properties that wanted to be read into the minutes. Anoka County is in the process of reviewing them and they did not want to make an appearance, but wanted to keep their options open. Those properties were 35- 30-24-44-0158 and 25-30-24-23-0048. One is a commercial property and the other is a single family home. Stellmach noted there was a 4-plex apartment in which the valuation changed. The PID is 35-30-24-33-0003. The value was $489,600 and was reduced to $440,000. Finally Stellmach stated that there are a set of properties in which the valuation needs to be decreased. This is the building of office condos located at 4141 Central Avenue NE. Each condo has a separate parcel number. Stellmach noted the sales of office condos in the county this year were not comparable to this building so that is why it is being decreased. The table on the next page shows the original valuation and revised valuation by parcel number. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES April 26, 2021 Board of Appeal and Equalization Page 3 PID Original Valuation Revised Valuation 36-30-24-23-0402 $162,995 $157,800 36-30-24-23-0403 $174,650 $168,900 36-30-24-23-0404 $152,285 $147,600 36-30-24-23-0405 $149,800 $145,500 36-30-24-23-0406 $111,605 $107,900 36-30-24-23-0407 $81,660 $78,900 36-30-24-23-0408 $138,140 $133,500 36-30-24-23-0409 $117,940 $113,400 Motion by Councilmember Murzyn, Jr., seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, to adopt the 2021 Assessment Rolls as presented. A roll call vote was taken. All Ayes, Motion Carried 4-0. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Márquez Simula adjourned the meeting at 6:31 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, ______________________________________ Nicole Tingley, City Clerk/Council Secretary