Assessed value of irrigated land decreases 7% for 2021

County Assessor Peggy Burton told commissioners the assessed value of irrigated land will decrease 7% for the 2021 tax year. 

This equates to a per-acre reduction of $250-260, based on the class of soil.

For the top three classes (1A1, 1A and 2A1), the 2021 value will be set at $3,455. This compares to the 2020 assessed value of $3,715. 

The next two classes (2A, 3A1) will go from $3,620 per acre to $3,365.

The remaining three classes go from $3,525 to $3,275, a decrease of 7.1% for 2021. 

Burton said the sales over the last three-year period (October 2017 to September 2020) were used to determine the 2021 values. She told commissioners the average sale prices for irrigated ground over that time have trended lower. 

As a result, the new assessed value for 2021 was lowered.

The new values decreased irrigated land valuation in the county by $32.87 million, from $484 million to $454 million. 

She noted the assessed values for satellite-irrigated ground, dryland, grassland and CRP did not change. 

State law requires the assessor to value agland between 69-75% of actual market value. This year’s values represent 73% of market value. 

She said rural residential property, Grant residential property and commercial grain and chemical facility property was all re-appraised for the 2021 tax year. 

She noted her office hired a commercial appraisal firm to complete the appraisal on the grain and chemical facilities. 

The overall assessed value of real property in the county declined $15.2 million to $1.047 billion. Personal property and centrally-assessed property are not included in that figure, she said.