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 11, 2022 Connie Buesgens 6:00 PM Nick Novitsky Kt Jacobs City Manager MINUTES Kelli Bourgeois The following are the minutes for the Board of Appeal and Equalization Meeting of the City Council held at 6:00 pm on Monday, April 11, 2022, in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 590 40th 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 6:02 pm. Present: Mayor Márquez Simula; Councilmember Buesgens; Councilmember Jacobs; Councilmember Novitsky Absent: Councilmember Murzyn, Jr. Also Present: Kelli Bourgeois, City Manager; Sara Ion, City Clerk/Council Secretary; Diana Stellmach, Chief Deputy Anoka County Assessor; Brandon Hodge, Anoka County Residential Appraiser; Jim Ryan, Anoka County Senior Appraiser; Malcom Watson, Resident; Kim Nixon, Resident; Howard Stewart, Resident. ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION 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 the review the property valuations as of January 2, 2022, for taxes payable 2023, and to hear appeals from property owners who feel aggrieved or have questions regarding property valuations. 2. Questions and Answers Regarding Property Values. Deputy County Assessor Stelmach asked for people who were attending in person to address the Board. Resident Kim Nixon inquired about the Taxable Market Value vs. Homestead Market Value Exclusion. Deputy County Assessor Stelmach confirmed what his taxable value was. Resident Nixon was concerned that his home needs a lot of work, and he does not feel that his home has been assessed correctly. Deputy County Assessor Stelmach recommended that an assessor comes to review the property. Councilmember Jacobs clarified for the homeowner that the value of the property could potentially be assessed higher. Deputy County Assessor Stelmach informed the property owner that the value of the home could go up or down based on their review. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES April 11, 2022 Board of Appeal and Equalization Page 2 Resident Howard Stewart was concerned about the taxable valuation of his home increasing by $68,000. He does not feel that this is in line with the actual value of his home, and they type of improvements that have been completed recently. Deputy County Assessor Stelmach reviewed the information related to the property and asked Mr. Howard if he would like to have an assessor come to the home and complete a review. Typically, what they have seen across the County, numbers have increased in the 25% to 35% range, and this property is a little on the high side of the range. Mr. Stewart was also concerned about the Hedge Funds purchasing properties and increasing the purchase prices of properties. Deputy County Assessor Stelmach stated that she does not feel that this is an overwhelming problem, and that the vast majority of properties are purchase by single family home owners. She confirmed that a member of the assessing team would come and review the property for him. Malcom Watson confirmed the date and time of the next County Board Meeting on June 13, 2022. Mr. Nixon asked about resources for finding a good contractor and inquiring about permits. Council gave Mr. Nixon information on options to follow up with related to his concerns. Deputy County Assessor Stelmach read the following properties into the minutes as requests for review have been made either by phone or letter: 36-30-24-24-0083, 25-30- 24-33-0048, and 25-30-24-34-0031. In addition to the three properties, there were also twenty-one additional properties that the assessing team had reviewed in the past ten days. The following properties were read into the record: Parcel Address Before EMV After EMV 35-30-24-32-0012 4016 2nd st NE 297,300 286,000 25-30-24-14-0107 2325 Innsbruck Pky NE 428,200 421,100 35-30-24-13-0201 4139 Jefferson St. NE 398,100 350,000 35-30-24-13-0202 4141Jefferson St. NE 406,400 355,500 35-30-24-33-0100 3736 3RD ST NE 326,000 286,000 25-30-24-24-0079 5005 Johnson St NE 406,400 367,700 36-30-24-43-0063 1708 39th Ave NE 298,700 273,600 35-30-24-21-0225 4321 5th St. NE 374,200 324,000 35-30-24-21-0224 4317 5th St. NE 406,700 355,400 35-30-24-21-0223 4315 5th St. NE 374,200 327,000 35-30-24-41-0106 3955 Jackson St. NE 255,000 249,700 36-30-24-14-0070 4108 Stinson Blvd NE 299,200 279,700 City of Columbia Heights MINUTES April 11, 2022 Board of Appeal and Equalization Page 3 36-30-24-23-0402 4141 Central Ave NE STE 101 232,900 167,900 36-30-24-23-0403 4141 Central Ave NE STE 105 246,300 179,900 36-30-24-23-0404 4141 Central Ave NE STE 201 214,700 156,900 36-30-24-23-0405 4141 Central Ave NE STE 205 215,300 185,700 36-30-24-23-0406 4141 Central Ave NE ste 107 156,100 115,000 36-30-24-23-0407 4141 Central Ave NE ste 108 116,300 84,200 36-30-24-23-0408 4141 Central Ave NE ste 109 112,600 98,300 36-30-24-23-0409 4141 Central Ave NE ste 111 178,000 121,500 26-30-24-34-0095 4621 University Ave NE 1,423,200 1,165,500 3. Council Actions Regarding Specific Cases or Cases on which Additional Information is Required. Motion by Councilmember Buesgens, seconded by Councilmember Novistky, to adopt the 2022 Assessment Rolls as presented. All Ayes, Motion Carried 4- 0 with Murzyn, Jr. absent. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Márquez Simula adjourned the adjourned at 6:35 pm. Respectfully Submitted, ______________________________________ Sara Ion, City Clerk/Council Secretary