Property taxes are the engine that largely underwrites government at the local level.
A homeowner with a more expensive property would have the same tax rate, but a higher tax bill. Lurking beneath a general veil of fairness and logic, property taxes are often contentious. Owners wonder if they're paying what they should, or if assessments are too high. At the very least, owners should review how assessments are made and how one appeals in the case of a dispute. Local assessment offices can supply such information, and there are also private assessment fighting services.