Round One...

The Tangled Web

I went to the County Government Center today in order to get a copy of Blue Ridge Mass Appraisal's worksheet [concerning my recent nosebleed inducing reassessment]. Francis Chester had informed us that § 58.1-3331 of the Code of Virginia allowed me to do this prior to my appeal. Bureaucrat #1 dutifully printed out some paper which turned out to be merely the old assessment breakdown and the new assessment breakdown. You know, the sheet your realtor provides with a listing. No notes, no comparables, no photographs or drawings produced to create the assessment.

Bureaucrat #1 had 'removed' some paper from my printout and I did see a photograph in it but he discarded it quickly saying: "some other stuff got in there." When I pressed him for an actual worksheet I was directed to the end of the hall where Bureaucrat #2 was running assessment hearings. Bureaucrat #2 told me that what I held in my hand WAS the worksheet and proceeded to inform me that I did not know how mass appraisals were done.

I muttered something like: "so this is how the shack in Gloucester County was assessed at $43,700," and Bureaucrat #2 assured me he didn't know what I was talking about. It was time to leave. I thanked him and walked out.

So now I need to go back to the Government Center, armed with a printout of the code that follows:

§ 58.1-3331. Public disclosure of certain assessment records.
A. All property appraisal cards or sheets within the custody of a county, city or town assessing officer, except those cards or sheets containing information made confidential by § 58.1-3, shall be open for inspection, after the notice of reassessment is mailed as provided in § 58.1-3330, the normal office hours of such official by any taxpayer, or his duly authorized representative, desiring to review such cards or sheets.
B. Any taxpayer, or his duly authorized representative, whose real property has been assessed for taxation shall, upon request, be allowed to examine the working papers used by any such assessing official in arriving at the appraised and assessed value of such person's land and any improvements thereon.
C. The assessing officer of the governing body may fix and promulgate a limited period within normal office hours when such records shall be available for inspection and copying, but such period of time may not be less than four hours per day on Monday through Friday, except on such days when the office is otherwise closed.
(Code 1950, § 58-792.02; 1975, c. 615; 1979, c. 577; 1980, c. 124; 1983, c. 161; 1984, c. 675.)

[bold type, emphasis mine]

When you go, print out this post and ask for the head of the department. You paid for the assessment, you can see the notes.