Auditor wants landfill sites re-evaluated
BY Kelli Young
The Canton Repository
CANTON - Millions of dollars in property taxes hinge on a real estate appraiser’s answer about how much four large Stark County landfills are worth.
The county auditor is trying to determine if landfills owned by Republic Services, American Landfill, Eslich Environmental and Minerva Enterprises have been undervalued — and therefore pay lower taxes than they should. To get the answer, the auditor plans to hire a state-certified private appraiser with a history of assessing landfills or similar properties.
“We have a theory on how to approach it, but we don’t have access to a lot of that data,” explained county auditor’s Chief Appraiser Jason Frost.
Not many landfills are bought and sold, so appraisals based on comparative sales is difficult, he said. An independent appraiser may have the advantage of being able to evaluate based on income and expense data. Companies are reluctant to give to county appraisers that information because it then becomes a public record.
Landfill officials say they will await the appraiser’s results before deciding if they’ll object.
Beth Schmucker, spokeswoman for American Landfill, said an independent appraisal “gives another perspective that’s always helpful.”
Republic’s spokesman, Will Flower, agreed, “as long as it’s fair and equitable, we have no problem with it.” He warned though that, as with any commercial property, when taxes increase, the cost “ultimately is going to be passed on to consumers.” Republic owns the Countywide Landfill in Pike Township.
Ted Dunbar, a county real estate appraiser, said the independent appraisal was prompted by a complaint American Landfill filed in 2005 to contest its property values.
“We felt it’s not fair without looking at all the others,” Dunbar said. “We feel there would be some type of relationship there.”
However, the auditor, under state law, cannot challenge his own value, so Stark County Treasurer Gary Zeigler filed the complaints against the four landfill companies on the office’s behalf.
Zeigler’s complaints seek to raise the taxable value of properties owned by the four landfills combined by more than $9 million.
UNDERVALUED?
The Stark County auditor’s office plans to hire an independent appraisers to re-appraise four Stark County landfills to see if the properties are undervalued.
Company name / Current taxable value / Suggested increase
Republic Services of Ohio (Countywide landfill) / $1.1 million / $6.6 million
American Landfill / $7.2 million / $1.3 million
Minerva Enterprises / $1.95 million / $3,600
Eslich Environmental / $91,260 / $1.38 million
The Canton Repository
CANTON - Millions of dollars in property taxes hinge on a real estate appraiser’s answer about how much four large Stark County landfills are worth.
The county auditor is trying to determine if landfills owned by Republic Services, American Landfill, Eslich Environmental and Minerva Enterprises have been undervalued — and therefore pay lower taxes than they should. To get the answer, the auditor plans to hire a state-certified private appraiser with a history of assessing landfills or similar properties.
“We have a theory on how to approach it, but we don’t have access to a lot of that data,” explained county auditor’s Chief Appraiser Jason Frost.
Not many landfills are bought and sold, so appraisals based on comparative sales is difficult, he said. An independent appraiser may have the advantage of being able to evaluate based on income and expense data. Companies are reluctant to give to county appraisers that information because it then becomes a public record.
Landfill officials say they will await the appraiser’s results before deciding if they’ll object.
Beth Schmucker, spokeswoman for American Landfill, said an independent appraisal “gives another perspective that’s always helpful.”
Republic’s spokesman, Will Flower, agreed, “as long as it’s fair and equitable, we have no problem with it.” He warned though that, as with any commercial property, when taxes increase, the cost “ultimately is going to be passed on to consumers.” Republic owns the Countywide Landfill in Pike Township.
Ted Dunbar, a county real estate appraiser, said the independent appraisal was prompted by a complaint American Landfill filed in 2005 to contest its property values.
“We felt it’s not fair without looking at all the others,” Dunbar said. “We feel there would be some type of relationship there.”
However, the auditor, under state law, cannot challenge his own value, so Stark County Treasurer Gary Zeigler filed the complaints against the four landfill companies on the office’s behalf.
Zeigler’s complaints seek to raise the taxable value of properties owned by the four landfills combined by more than $9 million.
UNDERVALUED?
The Stark County auditor’s office plans to hire an independent appraisers to re-appraise four Stark County landfills to see if the properties are undervalued.
Company name / Current taxable value / Suggested increase
Republic Services of Ohio (Countywide landfill) / $1.1 million / $6.6 million
American Landfill / $7.2 million / $1.3 million
Minerva Enterprises / $1.95 million / $3,600
Eslich Environmental / $91,260 / $1.38 million
View original article.
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