Many of us have been struggling to understand the spike in property taxes in New Castle County.
In my case, it came out to a 25% increase after years of hearing that tax hikes would be limited to single digits in adjusting to new values.
About 10% of that figure came out of a 10% hike in school taxes allowed after operating referendum approvals became increasingly difficult to pass. This is especially true in poorer school districts with aging buildings and a large proportion of low-income students in need of extra help.
The other 15% centers on issues that should have been addressed when all parties approved the reassessment agreement.
State Rep. Cyndie Romer, D-Newark South, offered perhaps the best explanation of what took place.
In a lengthy social media post, Romer pointed to the lack of a reassessment over a four-decade period. That created distortions in property values.
The biggest came from the valuations of commercial and residential properties.
As Romer points out, the values of residential property rose more rapidly than commercial sites.
It felt good to see your home double and even triple in value, but now reality has set in, with disparities exposed in the reassessment process.
According to Romer, counties were allowed to split their property tax rates to more evenly share the burden between commercial and residential properties. At the same time, school districts weren't given that option.
Romer's post also goes into detail on the issue of whether commercial property valuations should be based on income. (See below)
Romer wrote that legislation from Democrats will be introduced at the end of this week for consideration at a special legislative session on Aug. 12. Copies of the bills will be available Aug. 8 at https://legis.delaware.gov/. Republicans have also introduced bills that can be viewed on the legislative site.
"This reassessment may have been court-ordered, but how it was implemented was a choice. And if that choice unfairly burdened the very people we're supposed to protect, it's on us to fix it," Romer wrote.
Over the years, I've suggested that Delaware lacks mechanisms like a nonpartisan research bureau that could dig deep into complex issues that come with unintended consequences.
The reassessment mess is a textbook example of state and other governments dropping the ball, acting on limited information and failing to do their homework. - Doug Rainey, chief content officer.
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