Property owners can expect to see government employees in bright vests in Wilmington later this month as Delaware continues its multi-year effort to reassess properties across the state.
The statewide reassessment is the first such effort in decades to provide an updated and accurate picture of the layout, size and improvements for each taxed property.
BACKGROUND:Widespread changes coming to property tax bills
Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki said in a news release that reassessment efforts would begin in Delaware’s largest city Feb. 20 within the Highlands, Forty Acres and Trolley Square neighborhoods.
What can property owners expect?
Surveyors from Tyler Technologies Inc, a Texas-based firm hired to conduct the reassessment, residential properties, will be walking through neighborhoods to record property information and take photos.
Wearing brightly colored vests inscribed with “Tyler” and carrying New Castle County issued IDs, representatives may also knock on doors or ring doorbells to ask about improvements that may have been made to the property in the past 40 years.
Where will crews be next?
Reassessments in the Highlands, Forty Acres and Trolley Square neighborhoods will continue through early March. The Triangle, 9th Ward, Brandywine Village, Harlan Park and Brandywine HIlls communities will follow, city officials said.
Once completed, surveyors will move to the Eastlawn, Price’s Run, Northeast, Eastlake, 11th Street Bridge and areas near Interstate 495 and the Delaware River.
Specific start dates for other Wilmington neighborhoods will be announced later.
When did efforts begin?
Home surveys began in New Castle County in the latter half of 2021. Efforts also began during that time in Kent and Sussex counties.
REASSESSMENT BEGINS:Home-visit tax surveys have started in Delaware; old New Castle is next
Why are properties being reassessed?
The sweeping reform to Delaware’s taxing system was prompted after the Court of Chancery found that the way in which Delaware’s counties calculate tax bills violate the state constitution requiring that property owners be taxed equally.
Education advocates along with the Wilmington administration challenged the state taxing system, claiming in the lawsuit that Delaware’s school funding system fails to provide enough resources to disadvantaged students.
THE LAWSUIT:Judge rules Delaware property tax system unconstitutional
In May 2020, Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster ruled that all three counties calculate tax bills with property values that are extremely outdated, giving an unfair discount to some taxpayers while others pay on a larger share of their property’s actual worth.
Assessed property values are generally applied to county, city and school tax rates to calculate tax bills. Those taxes are a third of the state public schools’ revenue.
How will reassessment affect my taxes?
By itself, a reassessment is revenue neutral, although it will cause tax burden shifts among properties. Some owners will see increases while others will see decreases, and some will remain about the same.
Resources on the statewide reassessment
- Visit the county’s reassessment website.
- Contact the county Office of Assessment with questions at 302-395-5083.
- Questions can also be referred to Tyler Technologies property reassessment project supervisor Michael McFarlane at 302-395-3620
Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @mandy_fries.
