(Polk County, IA) -- The Polk County Assessor's Office is planning to mail the latest property tax assessments Friday, March 31st and owners may be surprised when they look at the numbers.
"These rates are more than double than anything we've ever done before, I've worked since 1980 and we've never had increases like this before," said Polk County Assessor Randy Ripperger.
He says the average change for a residential property is 22-percent. He says factors include low interest rates and a hot real estate market with a limited supply of homes for sale. He notes the good news, is the residential rollback will make a big difference in the amount of tax property owners will have to pay. Ripperger says for the average property owner, it'll end up being a three percent increase.
There's little variation in the rates within Polk County:
Des Moines: 22.2 percent
West Des Moines: 22. 8
Urbandale: 23.9
Windsor Heights: 22.7
Johnston: 20
Altoona: 19.2
Ankeny: 21.3
Pleasant Hill: 23
He says historically the market has been stable, but this year is an exception, and other cities across the state are also seeing 20-percent increases. Property owners can ask for an informal review between April 2nd and April 25th or file a formal protest with the Board of Review April 2nd thru May 1st .
The first half property tax payment will be due in September 2024. The second is due in March of 2025.