The city of Owen held their annual Board of Review on Wednesday, April 24. Scott Jalling was elected chair and John Mauel vice chair.
Although no citizens came to the meeting, city representatives had a few questions for assessor Mike Kochaver from Bowmar Appraisal.
The litigation that Kerry Ingredients filed against the state for their assessment from 2019-2023 was discussed. The state settled for the years 2019-2022. Kerry lost their case for 2023. Owen city clerk Tracy Rau will have to do a chargeback for the taxes for those years once the state sends her an amount. Kochaver said the problem is that there is no local involvement in cases like this. The state made an error and settled the case with no local input. Kerry Ingredients may appeal the 2023 decision.
They also talked about the Developer’s Agreement signed by Jim Bohl guaranteeing a minimum tax base within two years. It has been over two years and to date nothing has been built in the Business Park east of the city. They can do the assessment but there is no guarantee they will get paid. Kochaver suggested talking to the city attorney before any action is taken.
The city will be going through a revaluation in 2025. Field work for that will be started by Bowmar this fall.
