Sussex County’s appeal window is now open for those who want to challenge the reassessed value of their property, marking the second time since nearly 200,000 properties were revalued during a court mandated reassessment.
Sussex County Finance Director Gina Jennings says the process is a homeowners’ chance to challenge the new value of their home if they feel it’s inaccurate.
“Every year we have an appeal period where we open up applications at the beginning of the year. So we open up the application process in January. We then hear those appeals during March.” she said.
Nearly 200,000 homes were reassessed in Sussex County following a court mandated reassessment. Sussex County says that during the first round of appeals, only about 1% of property owners challenged.
So far, only around 25 applicants have filed an appeal with Sussex County. Jennings says since those numbers are lower than last year-, her office is taking steps to make sure residents are aware of their options.
“I just don’t want the reason that the numbers are low to ever be that we didn’t communicate enough. Since reassessment is still fairly new, I want to make sure that we’re communicating as much as possible to let residents know they have this ability to appeal.” she said.
Jennings says her office is taking those steps, that number might be reflective of an already low interest in challenges.
Reassessment applications are being accepted by Sussex until March 15th. Jennings says that appeal hearings begin in March and can run through May, depending on the number of appeals they receive.
