I found the 2021 notice of valuation for my Summit County home to be shocking, and it does not take any special talent to know that the 2023 notice of valuation will be even worse because of the skyrocketing sales prices no matter who the assessor is.  But it does matter who the assessor is, and that is why I support Lisa Eurich in the upcoming primary.

The 2021 notice of valuation used a new statistical approach that created a very complicated model to arrive at a valuation. The model is flawed, offering such surprising results as no adjustment for additional bedrooms over three, and a higher valuation for square feet on the second floor. 

It also added characteristics like fireplaces and porch and patio size to increase valuation, with many odd results. An old wood stove is a fireplace and counts the same as a massive rock wall architectural structure. An old concrete patio is the same as a fancy heated one of the same size, even if the increase to the valuation is several times more than the current cost of a new one in the same material. 

These are problems, but would not be as big a problem if the current assessor recognized the model as just a starting point. He doesn’t.  Absurdities were not corrected before mailing the 2021 notice of valuation, nor seemingly in the appeals process where decisions concluded that the model was applied correctly and that is all that matters. No further explanation required. The current assessor’s policy is simply to accept the model and get the most valuation for the money spenders, for the least work by the assessor. 

We need to do better in 2023. We can do better with Lisa Eurich.