Appeal board hears arguments on Bevin property value
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - A Jefferson County appeal board of property value experts faced hours of sometimes combative testimony as they set out to assess the controversial value of a property owned by Governor Matt Bevin.
There were two sides fighting it out to convince the board they used the right methods to value it, which in turn will determine how much the governor will have to pay in property taxes.
Attorneys representing the property owner said the value of the Anchorage house and surrounding land, should stand at $1.4 million, reinforcing what a county board approved in 2017.
Representatives from the county attorney's office said significant changes have taken place to the property, and value it currently at $2.9 million for 2018 tax purposes.
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Those changes include a connection to the Anchorage sewer system and additional square footage.
"We never had a full value assessment of what the ten acres plus improvements were," Assistant County Attorney Matt Golden said.
The attorney representing the Anchorage property said the changes aren't significant enough for review, and the action is politically motivated against Bevin heading into an election year.
"Next, it was reassessed because major improvements, then, the high profile nature," attorney Mark Sommer said. "But, in each of these news articles discussing these, its never about politics. To be clear, the assessment is all about politics based on the evidence."
Each party took jabs at reports used to explain how their opposition came to its value conclusions, calling different witnesses to testify regarding their perceived flaws.
Officials with the county attorney's office said another hearing will be held Friday, when they expect a decision to be made.
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