Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-10-13
4 and s Year
Periods Seen
AS WostefuI
BY PAUL HOPE

annual reasseSsment Of prop
erty in Northern Virginia Ii
recommended in a report Of q
Fiscal Survey Committee Of the
Northern Virginia Regional Plan
ming and Economic Development
Commission.
The report. one of a series in q
$4,000 survey, recommends that
the STATS of assessing agencies
in Arlington and Fairfax coun-s
ties and the Cities Of Alexandra
and Falls Church be enlarged to
carry on annual reassessment.
The usual period for complete
reassesstnent In Virginia local
tiles is every six years in the
counties and every four years in
cities. the report says.
Exclusive reliance upon re-
assessment every four years in
cities and every six years In
counties Is costly not only in
terms Of assembling and dis
persing special appraisal stats.
but also in the lag OF assessed
values behind a reasonable per-
centage Of full market value"
Other Changes Proposed
Annual reassessments would
avoid waste in the assessing
process and promote fairness
among taxpayers, who can more
readily be treated On the same
basis by an annual reassessment,"
the report states.
The committee also recon-
mends changes in the method Of
assessing property of public
service corporations. Under
present regulations the State
Corporation Commission makes
the assessment of corporate prop.
'erty at 20 per cent of its ap-
praised value. The report rec.
ommends that the sec be
directed to assess corporate prop
erty according to the local ratio
OF assessed values to appraised
values.
In Arlington and Fairfax
Counties real property is assessed
for tax purposes at 40 per cent
of appraised values. In Alex
andria it is AS per cent and in
Falls Church SO per cent.
The report says a consequence
of the uniform sec assessment
rule has been to force many
jurisdictions to observe the 40
per cent assessment ais a ceiling
which is exceeded only at the
cost OF placing disproportionate
tax loads on other locally as
sessed values" ~
Partial Assessments Urged
The committee also recon-
mends that buildings completed
after January in any given
year be partially assessed for
that year. Property is assessed
as OF January ! under present
procedures, and a building COM
pleted after that date does not
go on the books until the follow
ing year. The report says coun-
ties have authority to make par
tial assessments but the law is
not sufficiently clear. Cities
should also have such authority,
the report says.
The report stresses the i'm
portance of property taxes in
Northern Virginia. In the 1852
81 fiscal year. an average of
nearly 50 per cent Of all general
and utility revenue was derived
from the property tax.
Assessments in the four juris-
dictions jumped from a total Of
$40 million in 1929 to $72 mil
lion in 1910, 1895 million in
1850 and $3.50 million in 1855.
The breakdown of the 1855
figure showed Arlington, S236
million; Fairfax, 1892 million;
Alexandria. 1923 million, and
Falls Church, SIT million.
Other Recommendation
Other recommendations of the
committee include:
Occasional outside appraisal Of
all real estate would be "a VAL
liable eudit Of the valuations by
the regular agencies, but not q
substitute for them"
Annual appointment Of boards
Of equalization to hear aggrieved
taxpayers
Permission to arrange land
books to At the needs of the To-
cality. State law now requires
the separation of white and
colored property records. Lack
Of legal authority for locality
to choose its own arrangement
impedes administrative eff
,iency,' the report says.
The four jurisdictions should
use similar standards and ratios
of assessment. such uniformity
would be desirable in Northern
Virginia where many similar
types Of structures adjoin the
boundary lines of the four juris-
dictions," it states