Sonoma County fire-damaged property tax adjustments to begin

A recorded message states that Affected homeowners don’t need to fill out any forms or make formal requests, according to a recorded message.|

The Sonoma County Assessor’s office will begin sending staff out into the field this week to inspect fire-damaged properties around Santa Rosa and unincorporated areas to make property tax bill adjustments.

Teams of two were scheduled to begin the reassessment process starting Monday, according to a press release last week from the county’s joint information center. An official in the assessor’s office confirmed Monday morning, however, that those tandems had yet to get out into destroyed neighborhoods.

“These teams will be in marked County of Sonoma vehicles and will be in the field to review partial structure damaged properties,” William Rousseau, the county’s clerk-recorder-assessor, said in the release. “All assessor’s office staff will have County of Sonoma identification badges with them.”

The assessor’s office currently has a recorded message on its general phone number stating homeowners with affected properties do not need to fill out any forms or make formal requests. Mass reductions will take place once regional fires are under control and officials can make it out to complete their fieldwork.

The county collects property taxes and distributes those monies to a fund a number of public services throughout the community. Those recipients include Sonoma’s nine incorporated cities, more than 40 school districts and 70-plus special districts such as fire, sanitation and flood control.

Affected individuals are encouraged to call the assessor’s office for more information regarding the reassessment process, at 707-565-1888. The assessor’s office was also under mandatory evacuation during the recent wildfires, but has now resumed normal operations and working to assist residents through disaster relief filings and easing their property tax burdens.

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