Due to drastic 2008 property assessment increases, Dinwiddie Board of Supervisiors is looking to revamp their assessment process, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Dinwiddie assesses property values every four years, unlike most area localities, which do so every one or two years. Going four years between assessments is a factor in the values rising significantly, and making a decision on whether or not to change the frequency is something the Board will eventually have to examine.

In the long term, the county is also studying whether to create an office of the assessor, give the commissioner of the revenue the responsibility to conduct the assessment or continue to hire a company to do it.

Dinwiddie homeowners should let the Board of Supervisors know their concerns about the reassessment process, and encourage a process that will provide accurate results with manageable increases.

"In response to 2008 property reassessments that showed a significant increase in property values, the Dinwiddie County Board of Supervisors is considering several options to improve the reassessment process.

The 2008 reassessment, the first in four years, showed that residential property values went up an average of 47.4 percent, and some residents complained about increases of as much as 300 percent. The results created public outrage and led to several county actions, including a 19-cent reduction to the real estate tax rate and the approval of a new reassessment this year.

County Administrator W. Kevin Massengill last week presented the board with four options that he said address ways to improve the process and that could eventually lead to much significant changes, including the creation of an Office of the Assessor."

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