Cook County Assessor, Mary Black, has announced that the Cook County Assessor’s office has identified approximately 1,200 properties to review this summer. The properties within the Unorganized Township of Range 1 West and properties in the mid-to-upper Gunflint Trail are slated for review between now and September.
” MN Statute requires Minnesota assessors to review one-fifth of the properties within their jurisdiction on a yearly basis. These properties on the review list are in addition to the nearly 400 new or incomplete construction properties that will be reviewed this fall. Black said, “We have set a pretty lofty goal for our office, but many of these properties have not been reviewed for quite some time and in order to have a ‘fair and equitable’ assessment, we need to see as many properties as possible this summer.”
Many people fear allowing the assessment staff on their property will raise their value, which is not always the case, said Black. “Also, many property owners question why we have to review their property if they haven’t done anything for years. First of all, it is our job, and second, properties depreciate over time. If it is true that the property owner hasn’t done anything for years, the deprecation can be significant,” said Black.
According to MN Statute 273.20: “… Any officer authorized by law to assess property for ad valorem tax purposes shall have reasonable access to land and structures as necessary for the proper performance of their duties.”
A property owner may refuse to allow an assessor to inspect this or her property, but the assessor is then “authorized to estimate the property’s market value by making assumptions believed appropriate concerning the property’s finish and condition.”
If you refuse to allow access to your property, you lose your right to file a tax court petition until such time that access is granted. If you would like to have your property placed on the “Do Not Enter” list with the assessor’s office, call (218) 387-3650, e-mail assessor@co.cook. mn.us or send a letter to the attention of the Assessor’s Office at 411 W. 2nd Street, Grand Marais, MN 55604.
For a map of the review area and information on assessment, go to the Cook County Assessor’s webpage at www. co.cook.mn.us/index.php/assessor-home.
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