Getting the bills right

Thousands of property owners in Maricopa County may have paid an incorrect amount on their property taxes. The Maricopa County Assessor Keith Russell has launched a review of all of the county’s records. It is the first review of property tax records since 1994.

According to the Associated Press, the city of Chandler has already found 248 errors in their property tax rolls. Peoria has found around 1,000 mistakes. “We do pay a lot so if there is an error, I would want it to be known,” said Pheonix property owner Victor Harris. “That would concern me a lot,” added Ivan Huish, who owns property in Mesa.

Possible errors on the rolls might include being incorrectly listed as a resident of Phoenix or Tempe, which may have higher municipal tax rates than the city where the home actually exists. Property tax billing software can only do so much. A bill can still be calculated consistently if the valuation parameters provided are incorrect.