Some Canyon County homeowners could see a 60% increase on their property assessments

The Canyon County Assessor’s Office began printing out assessment notices and letters on Friday morning, and the assessor warned this year’s assessments would be substantially higher than last year’s.

Assessed values for residential properties in Canyon County are up 35% to 60% this year, Canyon County Assessor Brian Stender said — with a median countywide increase of 42%.

That is higher than in Ada County, where Deputy Assessor Brad Smith said the median increase would be 30%.

Last year Canyon County had a median increase of 30%.

Idaho law requires the assessor’s office to have assessments within 10% of the actual sales price of homes in the area. The Idaho State Tax Commission conducts ratio studies each year to make sure counties are in compliance with the law.

This year, to be in compliance, Canyon County had to assess values higher than they normally would, because last year, the office assessed values were lower than normal.

“We didn’t raise values enough last year, we were still kind of concerned about COVID,” said Deputy Assessor Joe Cox in an interview with the Idaho Statesman. “We unfortunately didn’t anticipate the market would be as robust as it was. So we fell behind.”

The median home sales price increase was up 35% in Canyon County this year, and Canyon County had to add 10% on its increases to be compliant with the tax commission.

Stender said 39 out of 44 counties in Idaho were out of compliance this year, because many assessors could not predict how much home values would soar in 2022.

To determine assessments, the county assessor’s office looks at median home sales prices increases in an area, such as the Boise Bench or Nampa, and then applies those percentages to all homes in that area.

Stender said the cities with the highest increases were Star and Middleton.

According to data from the office, houses in rural areas and subdivisions in Middleton had an average assessed value of $707,522.

There were only four homes assessed in Star by the Canyon County assessor’s office, because most of the city is in Ada County, but the average assessed value of those homes was $1,082,795. Greg Himes, chief appraisal supervisor for Canyon County, said he expects more homes to be built in the Canyon portion soon.

“That’s kind of an indication of what’s going on in Idaho,” Stender said. “People are moving here in droves. And there’s more buyers than there are properties available for sale.”

Last year, Canyon County’s median assessment increase was around 30%. Stender said at the time that it was the highest he had seen ever.

The assessor’s office did not immediately have the median increase in assessed values for commercial properties, though Cox said commercial properties usually lag three years behind residential.

Property assessments are not tax bills. Local taxing jurisdictions such as cities, counties and school districts are limited by state law in how much they can raise taxes each year. Any taxing district can reduce its levy rates — the percentage of a property’s value that the particular local government will collect — to offset the assessment increase on residential property.

The city councils, county commissions and other taxing districts will determine what the bills will look like when they set their budgets for the next year around October. Homeowners will receive their property tax bills in November.

The Canyon County assessor’s office wants to remind people that buyers and sellers set the market values of homes in the area, and the appraisers must follow those trends.

Stender said people will start seeing their assessments in the mail this weekend. He suggests that if people have concerns with their valuations, they should call the Canyon County assessor’s office at 208-454-7431.

The following are the average assessed values for Canyon County cities and rural areas, according to the assessor’s office:

• Caldwell: $386,925

• Nampa: $399,620

• Middleton: $454,322

• Melba: $311,298

• Notus: $295,915

• Parma: $304,482

• Wilder, original city: $242,489

• Wilder, newer city: $317,264

• Greenleaf: $385,835

• Star: $1,082,795

• Rural Caldwell: $582,871

• Rural Nampa: $617,809

• Rural Melba: $550,549

• Rural Moddleton: $707,522

• Rural Notus: $523,275

• Rural Parma: $465,144

• Rural Wilder: $562,662

• Rural Greenleaf: $611,000

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