This House Amendment to Senate Substitute No.

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Clarifying New Castle County's Power to Fix Property Assessments

This bill clarifies that rules about quality control reviews do not stop New Castle County from fixing property tax mistakes or checking values where errors might exist.

What This Bill Does

• Adds a statement confirming that all property must be valued at its fair market value under current state law.
• Clarifies that existing quality control review rules are not limits on the county's power to make other corrections to assessments.
• Allows New Castle County to check any tax parcel if it appears an error or mistake in valuation may have occurred.

Who It Names or Affects

• New Castle County officials who manage property assessments
• Property owners in New Castle County whose values might be reviewed for errors

Terms To Know

Fair market value

The standard used to set tax values, based on the price a property would sell for under normal conditions.

Quality control review

A check done by officials to find and fix mistakes in how much a property is worth for taxes.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not list specific dates when these checks must happen.
• The text states the county can act if an error appears, but does not detail every step they will take after finding one.

Official Summary Text

This House Amendment to Senate Substitute No. 1 to Senate Bill No. 228 clarifies that the quality control review parameters articulated in Senate Substitute No. 1 to Senate Bill No. 228 are not limitations on the power of New Castle County to otherwise make revisions and corrections to property assessments in the county and that New Castle County may conduct additional quality control review where it appears that an error or mistake in valuation may have occurred.
The amendment also adds a whereas clause that references the existing “fair market value” standard for valuation contained in the Delaware Code.

Current Bill Text

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Romer

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE AMENDMENT NO. 2

TO

SENATE SUBSTITUTE NO. 1

FOR

SENATE BILL NO. 228

AMEND Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 228 by inserting the following after line 38 and before line 39:

“WHEREAS, under current law, all property subject to assessment must be assessed at its fair market value as of the county’s most recent reassessment base year, and the County bears responsibility for ensuring assessed values reflect that standard; and”.

FURTHER AMEND Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 228 by inserting the following after line 81 and before line 82:

“

(i) This section is not a limitation on the power of New Castle County to perform quality control and make revisions and corrections relating to the assessed value of any tax parcel or parcels in its jurisdiction. In addition to the categories set forth in subsection (a) of this section, New Castle County may identify additional categories of tax parcels for quality control review where it appears that an error or mistake in valuation may have occurred.

”.

SYNOPSIS

This House Amendment to Senate Substitute No. 1 to Senate Bill No. 228 clarifies that the quality control review parameters articulated in Senate Substitute No. 1 to Senate Bill No. 228 are not limitations on the power of New Castle County to otherwise make revisions and corrections to property assessments in the county and that New Castle County may conduct additional quality control review where it appears that an error or mistake in valuation may have occurred.

The amendment also adds a whereas clause that references the existing “fair market value” standard for valuation contained in the Delaware Code.