Ohio County Refers 187 Mineral Assessment Appeals to State
Joselyn King Trending
WHEELING -- The Ohio County Commissioners acknowledged Thursday night the sheer number of mineral rights assessment appeals in the county this year was beyond their abilities to administer.
Ohio County Commission President Don Nickerson said the Ohio County Board of Equalization and Review has adjourned this week with 187 requests still awaiting a hearing.
"Which means the individual taxpayers will be able to take their appeals to the (State) Office of Tax Appeals, which is not related to the State Tax Department," he said.
The names of those residents requesting appeals have been referred to the State Office of Tax Appeals, and they will next get a packet in the mail with the necessary forms to schedule a hearing. These hearings likely will be scheduled to take place via computer.
Taxpayers without access or knowledge of computers will have access to a computer at the Ohio County Commission office, Nickerson said.
"We didn't think we could physically do all those hearings (as required) by Feb. 28," he explained. "That was an option under the law to allow those appeals to be heard there.
"We thought that was the better way to handle it for the taxpayers, and we are offering to help people by letting them use some equipment here."
The commissioners expect most residents will opt to have their hearing from the comfort of their own homes.
"We sat down and thought about what we could do to give the taxpayers a meaningful appeal," Nickerson said. "We think this is the best option for them to have a meeting for their appeal."
About 200 residents were inspired to attend a county Board of Equalization and Review session Feb. 16. They came after receiving "Tentative Notice of Increase in Appraisal" letters in recent months from the West Virginia State Tax Department, informing them their mineral rights assessment for the 2023 tax year was three to four times higher than it was in 2022.
The West Virginia Tax Department now acknowledges at least some of the initial appraised values the state sent out in December and January were incorrect. Representatives from the agency said information in the letters was based on the information they had received up until that time from oil and gas producers.
Ohio County Assessor Tiffany Hoffman has said she and other assessors across the state have questioned the validity of the numbers provided by the producers.
The State Tax Department has been receiving thousands of calls from residents across the state questioning their assessments, and employees there have not been able to effectively handle the volume of calls.