Seaford will pull from Sussex County data to determine its property tax assessments in future years.
At a City Council meeting on Tuesday, members voted unanimously to sign onto an agreement with the county for property valuations, a service the county is offering to municipalities at no cost.
City Manager Charles Anderson told council members that partnering with Sussex County represents a large savings for the city. He explained that the last city-funded reassessment, in 2019, cost the city some $130,000 initially, with additional costs for updates.
“The supplemental assessments that we do quarterly for new houses that are built or changes, we spend anywhere between $25,000 and $45,000,” he said. “So over the life of the assessment, we're spending around half a million dollars with our vendor to try to keep our numbers accurate.”
Council member Stephanie Grassett noted that using county valuation data also makes things easier for property owners.
“I also think it'll make it less confusing eventually for the city residents because they don't have to worry about Seaford's value of their home plus the county's value of their home,” she said.
The agreement also means fewer appeals for council members to hear, Anderson said.
“The items that can be appealed to the city will be reduced, but there still will be appeals that council may have to sit as the Board of Appeals and address,” he said.
Approving the agreement with Sussex County is just the first step in a long process, however. In order to use the data for its own property assessments and taxation, the city council will need to pass an ordinance, and change its charter. That is a complex process which requires approval not only by the city council but state lawmakers as well.
