Possible meeting about Kent County reassessments on tap

DOVER — Plans are being made to hold a town hall regarding property tax reassessments in Kent County, Levy Court Commissioner George “Jody” Sweeney said Wednesday.

The gathering could be scheduled for mid-October.

“We need time to make sure the people we want to be there can be there,” he said.

A Delaware Chancery Court ruling in May 2020 mandated that residential properties be reassessed, and the updated valuations took effect for 2024 taxes.

Commissioner Sweeney said he’s heard that some older Kent County properties saw larger tax increases in proportion to newer ones. Also, he said, some agricultural structures and their purported values have been deemed problematic.

The commissioner said he encourages anyone who thinks their reassessment is incorrect to appeal to the county by the Jan. 31, 2025, deadline, in time for next year’s taxes.

At the planned meeting, he said officials from Tyler Technologies could be present to answer questions.

Property reassessments in New Castle and Sussex counties are still to be determined.

“This is my opinion, and whether it was right or wrong to have waited and done all three counties at once, Kent County went first, and we need to get that right before the other two counties finish their reassessments,” Commissioner Sweeney added.

“We have to get this right to make sure the assessment is equitable, and I’m hearing some horror stories like, ‘My farm is next to this farm, and we have the same number of acres, the same number of chicken houses, but yet, his is assessed much lower than mine.’ Those are the things we need to get right.”

For information, visit kentcountyde.gov or call the county Assessment Office at 302-744-2401.