SUSSEX COUNTY, Del.- Sussex County is nearing the final phase of a major reassessment for nearly 200,000 properties. Officials shared an update Tuesday, with the project expected to finish by next summer.
The reassessment, ordered by the courts, is the first update to Sussex County’s property values since the 1970's.
County Assessment Director Christopher Keeler and Finance Director Gina Jennings explained that the project is moving into the final stage, and a new series of videos is available to help the public understand the process.
“We’re rounding the bases and moving into the home stretch, so the public really needs to follow what’s happening,” Keeler said.
Starting in mid-November, the county will begin sending out tentative property assessments to homeowners. These documents will show updated property values based on current market conditions and will be used to calculate next year’s property taxes.
Keeler stressed the importance of looking over these assessments carefully and contacting Tyler Technologies, the company handling the reassessment, if something doesn’t seem right.
“Communication is a critical piece of this process. We depend on the public’s feedback, so it’s vital property owners play an active role and take the time to review their tentative assessments to ensure accuracy,” Keeler said.
If property owners disagree with their assessment, they can appeal. The formal appeals process will begin in March 2025, but informal meetings with representatives from Tyler Technologies will be available before then to resolve any issues.
The County’s Board of Assessment Review will hear those cases that have not been resolved, either through informal meetings with Tyler representatives or by ‘referees’ who will act as intermediaries to review cases. County officials are seeking applicants for both the Board and as ‘referees’.
Once all appeals are reviewed and settled, the county will finalize property values and set a new property tax rate. Even though property values will likely increase, officials stated that the county will have to lower its property tax rate to account for the higher assessments.
By law, Sussex County can’t collect more than 15% above what was collected in the previous year.
For more information and to watch the new videos explaining the reassessment click here.