By Elena Olmstead for TCAJoB
When property owners receive the annual postcard from the county assessor’s office detailing the property value and their property taxes for the year, many homeowners pay the bill without questioning the numbers.
But former Spokane County Assessor Ralph Baker is hoping to change that.
Baker, who left office on Jan. 1, 2011 after six year, has started the American Property Tax Institute, an organization dedicated to helping people better understand property tax issues.
Baker said homeowners needed a place to turn with the property tax questions and he found that the assessor’s office isn’t always the easiest place for to get answers.
“While I was assessor, I was astounded by how little citizens understood their property taxes,” Baker said.
So as soon as he left office, Baker started writing. He published seven booklets in 2011, each about 22 pages, examining different aspects of property taxes. Through the booklets, he answers common questions, gives helpful resources and offers any forms that will need to be filled out. The booklets also teach people how to talk to people in the assessor’s office to get the answers they are looking for.
When Baker finished the books, he started the institute.
“The idea is, number one, to educate the people who buy the book and also to make it a one-stop shop,” Baker said.
He wants the American Property Tax Institute to become the place people come to for answers to their property tax questions.
As for the seven booklets Baker wrote, he chose to focus on the seven things the assessor’s office typically deals with. The books include a citizen’s guide to understanding Washington property taxes, a property tax assessment appeal kit, senior and disabled property tax exemption kit, property tax relief for growing trees, property tax relief for farmers, property tax relief for preserving open spaces and a business owners guide to Washington’s personal property tax.
“While I was the assessor, I took calls on all of these subjects,” Baker said. “These calls told me what people wanted to know.”
He said some people have asked him why he didn’t simply compile everything into one book. Baker said he wanted the information to be accessible and affordable. By doing the booklets, which cost $9.99 each or $6.99 each for a digital copy, people can pick and choose areas they are specifically interested in.
“My primary purpose for writing this is for the ease of the purchaser to get the information they need,” Baker said.
For example, Baker said his booklet on property tax assessment appeals explains exactly how a person can go about appealing their property tax assessment, why property value increases or decreases, and how the systems works. That gives property owners they information they need to decide if they are going to appeal their assessment and it includes all of the necessary forms.
Often going through a formal appeal process is not necessary, Baker said.
Once a property owner understands the system, they can see if the county has incorrect information about the property that may have led it to be valued too high, a situation that can typically be rectified with a phone call.
“A lot of things are corrected right away and immediately decreases your property taxes,” Baker said. “(The assessor’s office) wants to get it right.”
Baker said all of his booklets are written in a conversational tone that makes it easy to understand.
He’s also happy to have a booklet available about senior exemptions. Baker said that is one area he did see a lot of questions one while he was in office. A lot of seniors don’t realize that if they make less than $35,000 a year, they may qualify for a property tax exemption.
For more information on the American Property Tax Institute and to purchase the booklets visit the group’s website at www.americanpropertytaxinstitute.com.
