MONTICELLO, FL — As property tax notices hit mailboxes in Jefferson County, property appraiser Angela Gray urges homeowners to check their assessments closely and understand how recent changes might affect their tax bills.
- Jefferson County's Property Appraiser is mailing TRIM notices soon.
- Residents must verify tax values, exemptions, and file appeals to avoid potential tax increases.
- Watch the video below to learn about key property tax deadlines and what they mean for you.
Jefferson County property tax deadline approaches as TRIM notices are mailed to homeowners
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
In Jefferson County — the clock is ticking for property owners to check their tax savings and make corrections.
“The rollback rate is something that the legislature put in place and they call it a way to keep local governments honest,” property appraiser Angela Gray said.
I’m Lentheus Chaney, your Monticello neighborhood reporter, speaking with the property appraiser about what neighbors should look out for — and one homeowner who says that after recovering from two hurricanes, she’s concerned about this year’s property taxes.
Property appraiser Angela Gray is sending out the truth in millage — or “TRIM” notices — on Friday, August 22.
They show your property value as of Jan. 1, proposed tax rates from the city, county, school board, and water management district, and any special assessments like fire, solid waste, or road fees.
Neighbor Brenda Sorensen’s home was damaged during hurricanes Debbie and Helene. Now, she faces an updated tax assessment on top of an already increased tax base. She says it took a lot of time and money to finally make her home livable again.
“We were very fortunate to get our house put back together the way it was before the hurricanes came through last fall and were concerned that there might be an increase in our tax liability for our property taxes, but we also are hoping that the county commission and the school board will see it in their right mind to reduce the millage rate so that we’re not impacted too severely by the increase in values,” Sorensen said.
Notices will be mailed Aug. 22, and the deadline to make changes or file an appeal to the value adjustment board is Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Property assessor Angela Gray has lived in Monticello all of her life and was elected to her post 16 years ago. She says some property owners are missing out on exemptions that will help lower their tax bill simply because they haven’t filed.
“We set values; we don’t set tax rates. Your taxing authorities, which in our case would be the city of Monticello if you’re in the city limits, the county commissioners, and the school board, they set a tax rate based on what our values are. So if I’m increasing values, which we’ve seen values increasing, they can possibly lower tax rates, but when I drop values, they will raise tax rates if they’re trying to stay at the same budget numbers,” Gray said.
Gray says for the first time this year neighbors can see TRIM notices online along with short videos that explain each part of it — before it ever arrives in your mailbox.
In Monticello, I’m Lentheus Chaney, ABC27.
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