Maryland legislators are exploring a legislative remedy to rectify a missed deadline in mailing property tax assessments, an oversight affecting approximately 107,000 notices, as revealed by a state official on Thursday.
Failure to address this issue could potentially incur a cost of around $250 million for local governments over a three-year period.
Error Halts Property Assessment Notices in Maryland
Maryland conducts reassessments on one-third of all properties in each county annually, with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation required to dispatch notices by January 30th. However, this year, the agency discovered an error leading to the non-dispatch of notices, as stated by Michael Higgs, the agency’s director.
This delay has disrupted the timeline for property owners to challenge the new assessments.
State Senator Guy Guzzone, chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, indicated that legal experts are actively seeking the fairest and most effective solution to address this issue.
In a statement made during an interview on Thursday, Senator Guy Guzzone expressed the intention to rectify an error.
He outlined that the proposed resolution would empower the department to promptly send out the overdue mail, which is currently underway.
Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of ensuring that affected individuals receive a complete and equal opportunity to appeal their assessments once they receive the mail.
Legislators Explore Extending Deadline for Mailing
Guzzone, a Democratic representative from Howard County, stated that legislators are exploring the possibility of extending the lapsed deadline for mailing.
The mailing error was initially disclosed by Maryland Matters.
According to Higgs, the State Department of Assessments and Taxation utilizes the League of People with Disabilities, the state’s designated vendor, for printing and dispatching reassessment notices.
In a formal communication, Higgs confirmed that the vendor has rectified the error, and affected recipients can expect to receive their notices in the upcoming weeks.
Higgs elaborated that the agency has collaborated with the General Assembly to formulate legislation that would facilitate a temporary adjustment to the timeline for distributing reassessment notices.
