Offers way to report changes

 

Making sure that properties in Lawrence County are described accurately for tax purposes so they are taxed fairly is the goal behind a new tool on the auditor’s office website.

“You can report any discrepancy,” Lawrence County Auditor, Jason Stephens said. “You look on our website and see a house (listed) with a two-car garage instead of a three-car garage. Or you see your neighbor’s property has a house on it and we are not taxing it.”

Anyone wishing to report a change on a property can call up the parcel in question on the website either by parcel number or by owner’s name, then click on the “Report a Discrepancy” icon. The person, who can give his or her name or remain anonymous, will then keyboard what the discrepancy is in the box that appears.

“It will shoot it to our office,” Stephens said. “It won’t automatically change anything, but we can send an appraiser out to check.”

There are more than 55,000 parcels in the county and there are no building-permit requirements for residential structures.

“With that many parcels even a 1 per cent error is a lot,” Stephens said. “This gives people the opportunity to know that we are doing our best to report on taxes and the value of people’s taxes. It will give people confidence that every taxpayer is being treated fairly.”

The auditor’s website is www.lawrencecountyauditor.org.