VAB Filing Frenzy
By Julie Rosborough, Communications Management, Clerk & Comptroller
Feeling pinched by rising property values and squeezed for time, thousands rushed to file petitions with the Value Adjustment Board (VAB) before the September 14 deadline. When all was said and done, a record-setting 11,118 petitions were filed, an increase of almost 9% over last year. Several months of VAB hearings are now underway.
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VAB gives people a chance to challenge the assessed property value, which is set by the Property Appraiser and mailed to property owners each August in the Truth in Millage (TRIM) notice. Like many other petitioners, first-time filer George Fraser is hoping the process will help lower the sky-high taxes on his Lantana home. “The filing went very smoothly and everyone was very courteous. Now we'll see what happens, “ said Fraser. As Clerk to the VAB, the Clerk & Comptroller’s office receives and processes petitions, schedules and coordinates hearings, clerks and records the hearings and more. “Our job is to facilitate the process to insure citizens have an opportunity to be heard. However, we are not involved in the ultimate decision,” said the Clerk & Comptroller’s Board Services Administrator Grant Skolnick. Disputes themselves are settled by a Special Magistrate hired by the VAB, which consists of three County Commissioners and two School Board Members. Hearings are now underway and should be concluded by January 30, 2008.
COMING SOON! Filing a VAB petition is about to get easier. A new software program coming soon to the Clerk & Comptroller’s office will not only save the office time and money, but make it easier for property owners to file VAB petitions, evidence and fee payments online. The new system should be up and running by start of the next VAB season this coming spring. |