Amazon prime.
Free delivery.
Except mn. They will add 75 cents.
Don’t like it
We just had a bout of hysteria from people ignorant of the process when we had a town re-assessment. The budget drives the taxes, the assessment values only determine your fair share of that budget. Everyone gets reassessed proportionally so unless your reassessment is inaccurate for some reason, your % share has not changed. And there are mechanisms for challenging the assessed value.
Our town budget only increased by around 1% but people were convinced their taxes were going to skyrocket because assessed values went up by around 20%.
Like I said I don’t worry about the rates, just the bottom line dollars to pay, which has never gone down.
Minnesota is especially nuts this year. It was interesting that the legislative chairman of the state transportation committee does not drive or own a car. You can’t make this up. He is in favor of the 75 cents to supplement the money for roads. I used to have a cartoon pinned on my bulletin board with a funnel cloud and the caption, no one is safe while the legislature is in session. Obviously the guy doesn’t take many trips around the state to judge the roads but does take train rides.
I imagine that someone in his position could get a motor pool car and a driver to make the grand tour. In Maryland the driver would likely be a state police officer, and maybe a state police car.
Here in the county that I live in Virginia, the homes sell for approximately their accessed value. Homes are re-accessed each two years. When a home sells, the taxes are based on the most recent assessment, not the sale price. Now, when the new assessments are made, the most recent sale prices for the neighborhood do become a factor, but not directly. My home has what I call a penalty assessment, it has what the accessor calls High Curb Appeal because it has two Foundation to roof Bay Windows on the front of the house.
But I was able to challenge the size of my home and reduced the square footage assessment factor by a couple of hundred feet. I have a Family Room Over the Garage, we call them FROGs. They calculated mine to be the same size as the garage below, the Room is smaller as the side walls have what are referred to as Knee Walls…
The point was, what does a guy who doesn’t drive know about the general state transportation network? The answer is they really don’t care since the emphasis is on public transit in the metro area. Minnesota is 300 miles from side to side and over 400 bottom to top. Ya gonna have a highway patrol drive ya around to see what needs to be done with roads?
Actually since the day they published all the property data on computer they have always listed the cost of my lot at $55,000. I only paid $5500 plus got ten trees with it. I’m not sure if I want to rock the boat. I paid cash so not sure who made the mistake or how they would know what I paid. I’ve got around 4,000 sq. ft though and 3 car garage with a 4th stall along the back for shop and lawn equipment. Far as I know there has never been an assessor inside. Maybe peeked through the windows, I don’t know. So I’m ok, I just know their game is all. But I’ve never been charged for fire service which I’ve never used, and police only once in 40 years to check to see if I closed my garage. No fines on overdue books anymore either so things could be worse. But when they put curb in, and paved the road, I got charged for that even though it was a vacant lot. I never complained, I just want to see them tighten their belts appropriately. 20% wage increases are a bit excessive.
Update: By recent news reports, it seems there’s significant evidence afoot that Calif citizens believe the state has lost some of its appeal. They’re voting by their feet.
" California’s population continues to shrink, according to United States Census Bureau data. For the third straight year, people left California, according to government estimates. Since the decline began in 2020, the state’s population has shrunk by about 500,000 people … In new data published by the Census Bureau this week (3.31.23), it’s estimated that California’s population shrunk by approximately 113,649 people from July 2021 to July 2022… Many of the counties seeing a reduction in population are in Southern California and the [San Francisco] Bay Area … But no county is feeling the effects of population decline quite like Los Angeles County. From July 2021 to July 2022, the nation’s most populous county saw its population shrink by more than 90,000 people — more than five times as much as the next closest county, San Mateo."
That was my understanding. 200-300,000 a year walking away. But it’s not just people but the businesses too. Then I heard a couple years ago that there are about five families that are the pillars and when they go, the tax base goes. I don’t know who they are. Certainly immune in gated communities, but ya gotta go outside the gates sometime. When you look at Portland with businesses just had enough lawlessness and closing up should be a lesson.
I used to work with someone whose previous job was in the SF Bay Area. They moved to the DC area because they wanted to own a home and knew they never could around Sunnyvale. They also didn’t want to live in the Central Valley where he could have a minimum of a 2.5 hour commute unless he plane pooled to work. Yes, people at the same facility did that.
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In my county in Virginia, the assessment is a “Drive-By” Visual Assessment. They take a photo and they use the published data about the property, lot size, square footage of home, number of rooms, number of bathrooms, outbuildings, etc…
So, if you upgrade your home, new Kitchen, Bathroom, etc… there is no change in assessment.
They do not enter the home unless you have a specific type of appeal, incorrect size, wrong number of rooms, etc…
When I lived in Texas, I learned that the homes were also access on condition, they used three categories, New Construction, Good Condition, and “Run-down” and the assessment varied accordingly… they do on use those factors here in Virginia.
The proposal died in legislative committee and will not make it to the floor for a vote. Also, the governor was not in favor of it. - (MN Public Radio News, 4/17/2023.)
Which proposal are you referring to? The OP’s original post, the state collects a 75 cents tax per home delivery?
That was Minnesota. I think it was a one or two vote margin but I don’t care anymore what they do. You can be sure though all the state collude together to come up with this stuff, so as they say coming to a theater near you.
Well, on the positive side, at least someone on the gov’t payroll claims to have finally decided on what’s causing the ufo sightings … lol ., can’t make this stuff up!
A bill MAY be considered in mn govt process. I can’t introduce bills. I’m not an elected official. When I say the mn govt is considering adding a tax that we get to pay I’m not sure how else to state that? The “mn govt” is a code word? How are bills considered?
Are you going to say an elected official did NOT consider the tax? It was reported in the press that it was being considered.
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No, the OP stated, incorrectly, “Minnesota govt wants to add 75 cents to every delivery to your home.” That idea was being discussed in the legislature. It never made it into a bill. The governor was opposed to that idea. It never was something “Minnesota govt wants.”
Might an idea like that someday somewhere make it into a bill, and will the legislature pass that bill, and will the governor sign it into law? Maybe. But it is not happening this year in Minnesota.
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It was being considered. News reported it. You calling me liar?
Hmm, another MN reference. Group “The Castaways”, one hit single in 1965.