Hamilton County's cities have never paid for property reappraisals, and they want to keep it that way.
Although state law requires municipalities to pay half the cost of reappraising property within their boundaries, Hamilton County's cities have not been charged since the law went into effect in 1989. The county assessor appraises all properties within the county, including cities, every four years for tax purposes. The next appraisal occurs this year.
In December, Hamilton County Property Assessor Marty Haynes told the county's 10 municipalities he will start charging them. In all, those cities could have to pay a combined $772,674 by June 30 unless the County Commission steps in. The law allows the county to waive the fee if it has an agreement with its cities.
On Friday, Lookout Mountain Town Consultant Dwight Montague said the city will draft a letter asking the County Commission to agree to continue to pay the cost of the reappraisals. Lookout Mountain stands to pay $7,234.
"That's not a reasonable charge," Montague said. "It doesn't cost any more to appraise properties on Lookout Mountain than it does for properties in unincorporated parts of the county."
Signal Mountain is taking similar steps, said Boyd Veal, the town's manager, in a recent email.
The Town Council has passed a resolution asking the Hamilton County Commission to enter into an interlocal agreement to officially waive the reappraisal fee, Veal said. He expects to notify the commission next week.
Lookout Mountain, as part of the Small Cities Coalition of Hamilton County, sent a letter to the County Commission asking it to waive the planned reappraisal fee earlier this month. The group, which also includes Collegedale, East Ridge, Lakesite, Red Bank and Soddy-Daisy, stands to pay a combined $180,415.
"It is our view that this is a strong indication of an implied agreement by the cities and county," the coalition letter said, citing the county's past history of not billing the cities for appraisals. "If an agreement needs to be codified, we will be glad to sign it."
Those cities say their residents are getting double-billed because their county property taxes already pay for the reappraisal.
Chattanooga, which could wind up paying $557,152, has not sent a letter to the County Commission, city spokeswoman Marissa Bell said in an email Friday.
A month ago, Mayor Andy Berke said Chattanooga would be willing to enter into an agreement with the county to formalize what has always been the practice of not billing cities.
Ridgeside Mayor Janet Jobe and Walden Mayor William Trohanis could not be reached for comment. Ridgeside and Walden could pay $1,432 and $7,635, respectively.
Haynes has said he will present the reappraisal billing plan to the County Commission in the near future.
Commissioners have been hesitant to say if they will support or oppose the plan before they see it.
Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @pleach_tfp.