Within days of former State Representative Jake Zimmerman stepping into his new role as the first elected Assessor for St. Louis County, he has jumped into action. In an effort to reach out and provide help to property owners whose property was affected by last weeks devastating tornado, Zimmerman plans to use authority given to him under State Statutes to reduce the value of the damaged property, thereby reducing the tax burden on the owners.
In a press release Zimmerman said “when someone has lost their home to a tornado, the last thing they need to worry about is an unfair tax bill. Our office is committed to doing everything within our power to make sure victims of this disaster are treated fairly and compassionately.” I spoke with Jake yesterday about this issue and he told me that state law gives the assessor the right to change a property assessment when part of the property has become “uninhabitable”. Jake said it would take some research by his office to determine what qualifies for “uninhabitable”, but from my conversation with Jake it was clear to me he is intending to work hard to justify helping homeowners that have had damage qualify (ah, the benefits of an ELECTED Assessor) .
In talking with Jake he said he is going to make every effort for his office to locate and identify properties that have been damaged and reduce the assessment, however, he suggests property owners that have suffered property damage as a result of the storm to contact his office at the appropriate phone number below:
- Owners of Residential Real Estate 314.615.4230
- Owners of Commercial Real Estate 314.615.4968
If property owners contact the assessors office immediately it will help the office stop the assessment notices that are due to be mailed next month and issue new notices after adjusting the value of the property.
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