Have you received your Charleston County reassessment notice?

Those who haven’t received notices need to call the County Assessor’s Office at (843) 958-4100.

Charleston County Government’s Assessor’s Office has remailed over 8,100 reassessment notices due to address changes. The follow-up mailing comes after the office mailed 170,000 real property notices and 9,000 mobile home notices on June 30 to implement a required, countywide real property reassessment.

The opportunity to appeal the reassessment expires on Wednesday, Sept. 28. If a taxpayer has not received a notice they need to contact the Charleston County Assessor’s Office at (843) 958-4100 as soon as possible. County staff will instruct callers on how to file a change of address and will mail them a copy of their notice.

“These assessment notices may ultimately affect property owners’ taxes, so we’re making special efforts to reach everybody,” said Toy Glennon, Charleston County Assessor.  “Even though it is the owner’s responsibility to update mailing addresses, we’re making special efforts to reach as many people as we can.”

Other notices that had to be resent were due to the owner being temporarily away and having their mail stopped, notices being returned even after a second attempt to reach the owners at an updated address, and notices to LLC’s being returned because the U.S. Post Office was not aware the LLC was housed at a particular address (as did some notices to trusts).

“Our office is required to send reassessment notices to the most recent address of record. And although we are not required to track down changed addresses, we have done so to the extent that we can,” Glennon said.

The Charleston County website has information and answers to general questions about reassessment notices.

City Council expresses opposition to the Point of Sale Bill

On Thursday, November 12, 2009, the North Charleston City Council passed a resolution urging the South Carolina General Assembly to oppose H3272, the Point of Sale Bill.

The resolution reads as follows:

A RESOLUTION

A RESOLUTION URGING THE SOUTH CAROLINA GENERAL
ASSEMBLY TO OPPOSE H3272, THE POINT OF SALE BILL

WHEREAS, H3272, the point of sale bill, is not the fix for Act 388, and

WHEREAS, H3272 only presents another piecemeal approach to change the already fragmented state tax structure; and

WHEREAS, H3272 is a shortsighted attempt to fix a global economic problem of no credit and a slow housing market due to job loss and retirement worries; and

WHEREAS, H3272 never allows all property to true up to its full market value causing unfair inequities among homeowners living in different neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS, H3272 causes public schools already suffering from revenue losses to incur additional revenue losses; and

WHEREAS, when senators return to Columbia in January for the legislative session they should vote “no” on this bill and let the Taxation Realignment Commission complete its study of the state tax code; and

NOW, THEREFORE, the City of North Charleston affirms its opposition to H3272, the point of sale bill, believes that the Taxation Realignment Commission should be allowed to complete its study of the state’s tax structure before any additional piecemeal tax changes are passed by the South Carolina General Assembly.

THE ABOVE RESOLUTION SHALL BECOME EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY UPON ITS RATIFICATION BY CITY COUNCIL.

The Background
“In 2006, the legislature passed tax reform legislation, Act 388, which made several changes to the way municipal governments…”

2009 Session
“Legislators introduced several bills in the 2009 session to eliminate Act 388’s point of sale provision. These bills…”

Local Consequences
“The artificial value of the property for tax purposes was intended to make sure an owner…”

Senate Testimony
Miriam Hair's (Municipal Association of South Carolina) remarks to the Senate Finance Special subcommittee