Ada County homeowners felt sticker shock on 2019 assessments. Here are 2020’s numbers
Property tax assessments for Ada County homeowners rose at a smaller percentage than a year ago, but that may be of little consolation for families put out of work or otherwise struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Median assessed residential property values rose by 5.5%, down from a 16.4%-increase from 2019. They would have gone up more, but the county assessor took advantage of some wiggle room in state law to limit this year’s increase.
Home sales prices rose by 10% last year in Ada County and assessments could have risen by the same percentage, depending on sales in a particular neighborhood.
But Assessor Bob McQuade, in a series of telephone conference calls with other Idaho assessors, some county commissioners, business leaders and the Idaho Association of Counties, discussed whether property values could be frozen for a year and then adjusted next year when the full effect of the pandemic is known.
“Our conclusion was that you can’t legally freeze values,” McQuade said in an interview. “It was not an easy decision, and we really agonized over it. What we ended up doing (in Ada County) was to not be as aggressive with values this year.”
So that’s why the median increase is 5.5%. Median means half of the assessments are higher and half lower.
The wiggle room is this: By law, assessments must come within 10% of actual sales price values. For the past two years, Ada County residential assessments were 98% of sales prices, McQuade said.
With the increased assessments averaging 5.5%, this year’s assessments fell to 94% to 95% of actual market value. That leaves less wiggle room next year if McQuade hopes to repeat this year’s maneuver.
The highest median assessment was in Northeast Boise, which includes much of the Foothills, at $496,264. Properties there saw their assessments rise 2.8%, the lowest rate of increase in the county.
The lowest median was in Garden City, at $257,125. Assessments there increased 8.8%.
For the second straight year, the Boise Bench had the highest rate of increase, 9.7%, bringing its median to $257,670. But the latest increase reflected a slowdown last year in the pace of price rises: It is less than half of the 2019 increase of 20.3%.
Assessments must reflect prices on Jan. 1. Even with the coronavirus pandemic, home prices have kept rising since then.
The Assessor’s Office analyzed 12,000 to 13,000 residential sales to determine, by neighborhood, how much to increase individual home assessments.
Assessed values are used by taxing districts, including cities, counties, school districts and other public taxing districts to set their budgets and determine how much individual property owners will pay. Higher assessments don’t necessarily mean higher taxes. Taxes depend on how much elected officials decide to spend in their annual budgets.
Homeowners who feel their assessments were too high are urged to call the number on the assessment notice. That will connect you with the person who appraised the property. Appraisers are always open to discussion and new information, McQuade said.
People who still aren’t satisfied can file an appeal with the Ada County Board of Equalization. The board, whose members are the Ada County commissioners, is tasked with equalizing value and enforcing “a proper classification and assessment of all property,” according to the Idaho Association of Counties.
Last year, 642 appeals were filed. Most of the cases were handled informally through discussions with the Assessor’s Office. Only 133 went to hearings before the Board of Equalization.
The largest number of appeals, 2,936, were filed in 2008, during the Great Recession. Only 263 homeowners took their cases to the Board of Equalization.
Here’s a list of the 17 Ada County neighborhoods, their median assessment and the percentage increase:
100. North Boise
2020 $436,415, +6.3%
2019: $410,550, +18.3%
2018: $342,450, +10.4%
2017: $305,800, +8.6%
2016: $276,100, +13.3%
2015: $243,700, +7.4%
2014: $227,000, +11.5%
200. Northeast Boise
2020: $496,264, +2.8%
2019: $482,700, +13.1%
2018: $426,900, +11.9%
2017: $381,300, +8.8%
2016: $347,350, +11.7%
2015: $311,100, +6.8%
2014: $291,300, +10.8%
300. Southeast Boise
2020: $322,338, +5.7%
2019: $305,100, +14.8%
2018: $266,300, +14%
2017: $233,800, +10%
2016: $211,400, +8.5%
2015: $194,800, +10.9%
2014: $175,700, +12.3%
400. Boise Bench
2020: $257,670, +9.7%
2019: $234,800, +20.3%
2018: $194,100, +12.8%
2017: $170,700, +9.7%
2016: $155,700, +7.2%
2015: $145,250, +10.04%
2014: $132,000, +16.5%
500. Southwest Boise
2020: $320,312, +6.3%
2019: $301,300, +16.7%
2018: $240,500, +10.6%
2017: $233,450, +8.7%
2016: $214,500, +5.1%
2015: $192,200, +4.4%
2014: $184,100, +16.2%
550. Southwest Boise/Meridian
2020: $298,804, +4.8%
2019: $285,200, +18.3%
2018: $257,650, +10%
2017: $215,000, +8%
2016: $198,800, +9.3%
2015: $189,200, +4.7%
2014: $180,800, +12.9%
600. West Boise
2020: $258,778, +7.1%
,2019: $241,600, +18.7%
2018: $203,400, +13%
2017: $179,800, +9.5%
2016: $164,600, -7.9%
2015: $178,300, +6.3%
2014: $167,700, +15.2%
650. West Boise/Garden City
2020: $286,779, +5.6%
2019: $271,700, +16.7%
2018: $230,700, +11.6%
2017: $204,400, +7.3%
2016: $189,700, +6.4%
2015: $150,300, +6.3%
2014: $141,350, +17.5%
700. Garden City
2020: $257,125, +8.8%
2019: 236,350, +19.1%
2018: $190,200, +12.5%
2017: $169,500, +10.8%
2016: $144,800, +6%
2015: $136,600, +13.2%
2014: $120,700, +18.9%
800. Northwest Boise
2020: $315,597, +5.7%
2019: $298,550, +17.4%
2018: $253,100, +11.5%
2017: $219,200, +7.5%
2016: $200,000, +9.6%
2015: $182,400, +5.4%
2014:$173,100, +15%
900. Eagle
2020: $490,945, +5.1%
2019: $467,300, +12.3%
2018: $418,800, +9.8%
2017: $379,800, +6.6%
2016: $353,500, +7.3%
2015: $329,300, +5.1%
2014: $313,400, +13.2%
950. Star
2020: $340,898, +4.3%
2019: $327,000, +16.8%
2018: $276,000, +12.1%
2017: $243,500, +7%
2016: $225,200, +10%
2015: $204,800, +7.5%
2014: $190,500, +16.8%
1000. Southeast Meridian
2020: $351,672, + 3,2%
2019: $340,900, +13.1%
2018: $301,200, +12%
2017: $266,100, +6.3%
2016: $247,800, +5.8%
2015: $234,200, +2.5%
2014: $228,600, +12.9%
1010. Southwest Meridian
2020: $397,197, +6.6%
2019: $372,500, +15.7%
2018: $322,100, +9.4%
2017: $294,300, +6.8%
2016: $274,900, +33.6%
2015: $205,700, +4.8%
2014: $196,300, +12.5%
1020. Northeast Meridian
2020: $307,375, +3.3%
2019: $297,700, +16.2%
2018: $254,200, +10.9%
2017: $229,100, +7.2
2016: $211,200, +7.2%
2015: $197,100, +7.2%
2014: $183,800, +11.1
1030. Northwest Meridian
2020: $297,996, +5.6%
2019: $282,300, +14.4%
2018: $243,350, +10.3%
2017: $218,900, +7.8%
2016: $201,050, +5.2%
2015: $191,200, +6.9%
2014: $178,800, +15.4%
1100. Kuna
2020: $263,636, +7.3%
2019: $245,700, +17.8%
2018: $205,800, +11.6%
2017: $183,500, +8.7%
2016: $166,500, +7.9%
2015: $154,300, +6.3%
2014: $145,100, +18.9
Source: Ada County Assessor’s Office
This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 4:25 PM.
