2009-04-08 Board of Equalization Mtg.

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City of Centerville A sales ratio is obtained by comparing the assessor's market value to the adjusted sales price of each property sold in an arms-length transaction within a fixed period. An "arms-length" transaction is one that is generated after a property has had sufficient time on the open market, between both an informed buyer and seller with no undue pressure on either party. The median or mid-point ratios are calculated and stratified by property classification. The only pen`ect assessment would have a 100% ratio for every sale. This is of course, is impossible. Because we are not able to predict major events that may cause significant shifts in the market, the state allows a 15% margin of error. The Department of Revenue adjusts the median ratio by the percentage of growth from the previous year's abstract value of the same class of property within the same jurisdiction. This adjusted median ratio must fall between 90% and 105%. Any deviation will warrant a state mandated jurisdiction-wide adjustment of at least 5%. To avoid this increase, the Anoka County Assessor requests a median sales ratio of 94.5%. Countywide, we have the ability to stratify the ratios by style, age, quality of construction, size, land zone and value. This assists us in appraising all of our properties closer to our goal ratio. Sales Statistics Defined In addition to the median ratio, we have the ability to develop other statistics to test the accuracy of the assessment. Some of these are used at the state and county level also. The primary statistics used are: Aggregate Ratio: This is the total market value of all sale properties divided by the total sale prices. It, along with the mean ratio, gives an idea of our assessment level. Within the city, we constantly try to achieve an aggregate and mean ratio of 94% to 95% to give us a margin to account for a fluctuating market and still maintain ratios within state mandated guidelines. Mean Ratio: The mean is the average ratio. We use this ratio not only to watch our assessment level, but also to analyze property values by development, type of dwelling and value range. These studies enable us to track market trends in neighborhoods, popular housing types and classes of property. Coefficient of Dispersion (COD): The COD measures the accuracy of the assessment. It is possible to have a median ratio of 93% with 300 sales, two ratios at 93%, 149 at 80% and 149 at 103%. Although this is an excellent median ratio, there is obviously a great inequality in the assessment. The COD indicates the spread of the ratios from the mean or median ratio. 73