Augusta County reassessments cause unforeseen ground swell

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CHURCHVILLE — Michael and Susan Cromer’s 65-acre farm with two homes is a majestic gem in Augusta County’s Pastures District.

It is also a place where the reassessment sting is acutely felt. In Pastures, property values increased by nearly 40 percent over four years. For the Cromers, the jump was more than two-thirds, driving the value on their property from $490,000 to $830,000.

“They are assessing this as if the land could be developed,” said Mike Cromer, an Augusta County veterinarian. “We are on landlocked soil.”

Under the reassessment, values increased by an average of 27.7 percent over four years in Augusta. Values elsewhere have increased only slightly or have declined.

Because the Cromers’ land is in land use — meaning it is zoned agricultural and qualifies for a tax break — their next tax bill will not be the same as the owner of strictly residential property.

They will be taxed according to the soils on their property. Still, the couple cannot understand how their assessment went up so much.

Susan Cromer, a teacher at Buffalo Gap High School, said she favors the suggestion of Pastures District Supervisor Tracy Pyles to roll back the assessment to 2005 values.

“The reassessment is supposed to be based on fair market value,” she said. “Look at the properties like this on Jerusalem Chapel Road. They don’t sell.”

West of the Cromers in Deerfield is cattle farmer Bobby Guin.

Guin also has his land in land use, but saw the value of his 130-acre cattle farm increase from $351,200 to $524,400.

Guin said the bulk of his reassessment increase was based on his land. But he said that, when he appealed his case, he was told that part of the reason for his increase was based on the sale of a farm 15 miles from his.

“The appraisers [Blue Ridge Mass Appraisal Company] had their head in the sand,” Guin said. “Things could not have gone up like the way they said it has.”

Dave Hickey, president of Blue Ridge Mass Appraisal, said assessment of rural properties sometimes requires long travel to find one of comparable value.

“With large acreage tracts, 15 miles is a drop in the bucket,” Hickey said. “In a subdivision, you might have three houses on your block that have sold.”

Hickey said the Deerfield community features good farmland and is relatively close to both Rockbridge and Bath counties, where large purchases of land have been made for recreational purposes by buyers.

“It’s a different world,” Hickey said of assessing rural farming areas. “It does not mean the land has no value. People who are interested are looking at it from the standpoint of rural western Virginia.”

Susan Cromer said the reassessment should be delayed until the housing market becomes stable.

“We haven’t hit the bottom of the market yet,” she said.

Six Augusta County supervisors other than Pyles say they would be violating their oaths of office and state law by not proceeding with the reassessment.

Under Section 58 of Virginia code, Augusta is required to conduct a reassessment every four years. That section of the law provides for the penalty for localities that fail to comply: they forfeit their share of profits from the state’s alcoholic beverage control system.

In Augusta’s case, the loss would be less than $40,000 annually, according to a figure cited by county officials. Augusta’s budget this fiscal year is $176 million.