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TextNews to Use Podcast Transcript: Feb. 24, 2010
Good day, and welcome to the Fairfax County News to Use podcast for Feb. 24, 2010. Coming up, learn about real estate tax assessments, Fairfax Connector temporary fare surcharge, and free seminars for Family caregivers..
The Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration (DTA) begins mailing real estate assessment notices to county taxpayers Feb. 23. The notices will be sent to all property owners of taxable parcels in the county. Of the 352,135 taxable parcels in the county, 296,522 had some value change. The remaining taxable parcels have no change in their 2010 real estate assessment.
Property owners are encouraged to review their assessment notice upon receipt. Inquiries concerning any assessment should be directed to the Department of Tax Administration (DTA) at 703-222-8234. Residents can obtain a list of residential sales within each assessment neighborhood from www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dta. This is a customer service initiative intended to help residents review their 2010 assessment. Residents are encouraged to call to discuss their assessment questions with appraisal staff.
Administrative appeals can be filed with DTA if residents believe their assessment is not equitable in comparison with similar properties or if they believe their assessment exceeds fair market value. Appeals may be made in writing to the Real Estate Division of DTA. New this year, residents may appeal their residential assessment online. Appeal applications can still be obtained by calling DTA at 703-222-8234 or can be downloaded directly from the www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dta. DTA requests that appeal applications be filed by April 2, 2010.
Real Estate appeals can also be filed with the Board of Equalization (BOE). Under Virginia law, the BOE is separate from the DTA and consists of nine taxpayers appointed by the Board of Supervisors. The BOE conducts formal hearings and takes sworn testimony. By law, all appeals to the BOE must be filed and postmarked by June 1, 2010. BOE appeal forms also are available www.fairfaxcounty.gov/boe or by calling 703-324-4891.
Effective Sunday, Feb. 28, Fairfax Connector will implement a temporary 10-cent surcharge on bus fares. The surcharge will ensure fare compatibility with Metrobus, who also will institute a temporary fare increase on Feb. 28. The surcharge will help address fiscal concerns for the remainder of a budget year in which Fairfax Connector underwent cuts in service and operations due to the County’s budget shortfall and a decline in ridership.
The regular base fare will increase from $1.25 to $1.35 if paying by SmarTrip® card and from $1.35 to $1.45 if paying by cash; senior and disabled fares will increase from 60 cents to 65 cents; and the surcharge will not be added to the express fares for routes 380D, 595 and 597.
The surcharge will affect transfer costs. A charge will be assessed for passengers paying by SmarTrip® card who start their trip on a transit service whose fare is less than that of the Fairfax Connector.
Fairfax Connector fare and transfer information can be found at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector.
Fairfax County's free seminars for family caregivers series offers 11 events this spring to help family caregivers of older adults and adults with disabilities throughout the county. Speakers include experts in law, insurance, care management, finances and community resources.
New this spring is a seminar on supporting caregivers of veterans scheduled for March 25. People are welcome to attend one or all of the seminars.
For more information, to register, or to request reasonable accommodations call 703-324-5205
That’s all for this News to Use podcast. Thanks for listening. For more information about the topics in this podcast and for continuous news updates, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news. You may also call 703-FAIRFAX, that’s 703-324-7329, weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. News to Use is produced by the Fairfax County, Virginia, government.
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