Minneapolis City Assessor Patrick Todd defended the accuracy of his office's mass-appraisal of properties to the City Council Thursday, following a report showing more than 1,000 people appealed successfully to lower their valuations.
Responding to questions from council members, Todd said his office relies on statistically viable methods to estimate property values in Minneapolis, though he acknowledged that the software is dated and does not help taxpayers understand the city's calculations.
"I wouldn't say that our software is faulty at all," said Todd. "It's just not providing the transparency and the reporting tools that other jurisdictions are providing. I have an incredible amount of faith in the actual numbers."
Todd delivered a report to the council showing the outcome of 1,400 appeals, a stark rise from last year driven by concerns that higher values could translate to larger property tax bills in the future. The tax assessors and appeals board approved 1,144, or 82 percent, of those who filed formal objections.
Council Member Linea Palmisano, whose ward includes the area of south Minneapolis that saw the most appeals, asked how the city could improve the process in the future.
"I worry about the longtime homeowners, people aging in place across our city, that maybe could have gotten a reduction if only they had appealed," Palmisano told Todd. "Do you think there might be a problem with the modeling process?"
"To answer that question, at this point in time, I would say, no," replied Todd.
At the end of every year, Todd said, the Department of Revenue does its own analysis of home sales and compares it to the city's appraisals, and they have been "rock solid" in the past.