Roanoke County Real Estate Assessment Values are Wrong - FOX 21/27 WFXR Roanoke/WWCW Lynchburg News, Weather

Roanoke County Real Estate Assessment Values are Wrong

"If it says this is the sales price, it should reflect the actual sales price," says Roanoke County homeowner Susan Edwards.

Edwards is one of many wondering if they have paid too much in real estate taxes.

"I am disappointed because I think the public as a whole expects there to be integrity in what our public records share to the public," Edwards says. "If that information is mislabeled, then that should be reflected in what's out there on the public domain.

Susan Simmons, chairman of the board of equalization echoes a need for change.

"They need to have the numbers there correct, as other localities do," Simmons says.

The Board of Supervisors says they know the numbers are wrong, and need to be corrected. One idea involves a software upgrade similar to what other localities use. Nothing is definite until the taxation department comes back with its findings in two weeks.

"The numbers will be what they are. If we need to correct them in large numbers we will do it. I am going to stand in there and fight to the very end because what is right is right wrong is wrong. I'm not saying people can't make mistakes, but when you see glaring information spread over the county of 96,000 people, if you don't wake up and see something is smoking in the kitchen then something is wrong," Supervisor Butch Church says.

Church says at this point, they do not know how many people overpaid in taxes. The hope is to get that information from the taxation department.