Anchorage Tax Appeals Surge: What Went Wrong?

0:00In Anchorage, it's March 16, and here's what is going on. Property owners in Anchorage are filing way more appeals against this year's residential tax valuations than in past years. The usual process lets owners talk directly with appraisers to sort things out without a formal appeal, but that didn't happen as much this time. A renda. A big public backlash led to three neighborhoods getting their valuations redone entirely. We don't know exactly how many properties that affected, or the total dollar adjustments across the board. The flood of appeals is overwhelming the system, so plenty of owners probably skipped appealing or accepted smaller fixes. It's shaking people's trust in how taxes get valued, especially since the city just asks for recent sale prices without any penalties for ignoring it. Or lying, unlike some other Alaska spots. Meanwhile, city officials keep pushing these new market value assessments as required by law, even with all the challenges and unknown tweaks. Taxpayers deserve a clear breakdown of what went wrong, why the increases hit so hard

1:03after the hot market cooled, and real steps to fix the process, and rebuild confidence. The Daily News Now is presented by our sponsor, Headphones and a Pillow, Simple Idea, Surprisingly Addictive S-O-L-I-S-O-L-Pillow.com