Multnomah County Property Tax Appeals Process Favors Assessor

According to a report today in the Portland Tribune, Multnomah County Board of Property Tax Appeals (BOPTA) hearings favor the county assessor. Critics of the process argue that frequently there is no representative from the assessor’s office present at hearings, and property owners are not given supporting documents for the assessor’s opinion until they walk into the hearing. Mike Vaughn, who replaced the previous assessor in July 2016, is working to improve the process. Previously, property owners had to request a copy of the county’s report, which they paid 25 cents per page to view. Under Vaughn’s new leadership, appellants are given a free one-page summary of the assessor’s recommendation. Scott Phinney, a former Oregon Department of Revenue employee who now helps clients with property tax appeals throughout the state, says it is unusual that the assessor is not present at hearings. He also claims that the Multnomah County BOPTA panel generally only sides with his clients if the assessor’s office concurs. Read more.