The St. Tammany Parish Council opened its Board of Review Wednesday night to a standing room-only crowd of angry homeowners who had come to appeal the latest assessments on their properties.

The anger in the council chambers was palpable, as parish residents, loaded down with paperwork, listened to Council President Jerry Binder explain the process for reviewing the appeals. Several people in the audience wore T-shirts that read, “Is everybody happy?” on the front, and “I don’t think so” on the back.

Binder said the council has received 2,000 requests for appeal, and they would consider appeals from only 50 homeowners Wednesday evening. The council administrators had called the first 50 residents a week ago to set up appointments. The council’s review board will continue to listen to appeals in November by calling in 50 people per session.

It was standing-room-only Wednesday night in the St. Tammany Parish Council Chambers as angry homeowners showed up to appeal their recent property assessments. (Staff Photo by Erik Sanzenbach)

The council was broken up into five sub-committees made up of three council members. Each sub-committee will listen to appeals in private rooms. The three council members would then vote on a recommendation, either to lower the assessment or keep it the same, and that recommendation would be put to a vote of the full council later that evening.

Binder said the vote would make the assessment legal unless St. Tammany Assessor Patricia Schwartz-Core objects, and that appeal can be reviewed at the state level.

Schwartz-Core was not at the meeting, nor were any representatives from the Assessor’s Office.

The large number of appeals came about when the assessor released the 2008 property assessment in early October.

Many homeowners were hit with sticker shock when they got their assessments that had increased by 100 percent in some cases. This means their property tax bill would also increase.

There were complaints the assessment had been arbitrarily done, and that houses with similar size and land were assessed at different values.

Herbert Forester, who has lived in the parish for 25 years and was on of the 50 to be reviewed Wednesday, said there was no logic to the assessment. His property assessment on his Pinewood Park subdivision home had increased 55.2 percent, and the value of his house had appreciated 32 percent.

“My house couldn’t have appreciated that much in four years,” Forester said. “Maybe 3 or 4 percent, but not 32 percent. There is no formula of consequence used on this.”

Lacombe resident Mary Johnson told the council her house had been totally destroyed during Hurricane Katrina.

“But the assessor has increased the value of a house that isn’t there,” Johnson said.

Councilman Al Hamauei was astonished. “That is just ridiculous and incompetent,” he said.

Binder said the purpose of the board of review was to formulate fair and consistent assessments.

“There is a problem here, and that’s why we are here to see if your assessment is fair,” Binder said to residents.

The council’s board of review met again Thursday night. There will be a break for the election, and the assessment reviews will continue Nov. 8 until all 2,000 appeals are heard.

The property taxes go to paying for schools, fire protection, law enforcement, parish government, and many other agencies. The taxes are needed, but some voters like Forester don’t see the need for more taxes.

“To add insult to injury, the parish will raise an extra $50 million that will not be used in an appropriate fashion,” he said.

If a homeowner has appealed to the Parish Council, they can call the council administrator Mike Sevante at 898-2591 to find out the date their appeal will be heard.