ALPENA — At Tuesday’s Alpena County Board of Commissioner’s meeting Equalization Director Ted Somers gave his annual equalization report. The report features good news for the county, as assessments climbed for the county as a whole and a slight increase to the tax roll is likely.

Somers said there was an increase of 0.33 percent in assessed value for the county. All of the totals from the townships and City of Alpena were averaged to reach the total. As a result Somers said there could be an increase of 1.32 percent in taxable value.

Residential assessment values climbed 1.16 percent, with Wilson Township seeing the biggest gain climbing 9.55 percent. Alpena assessment values jumped by 1.54 percent, while Alpena Township increased by 0.58. Long Rapids Township saw the steepest decline, as it lost 5.20 of its assessed value.

Somers said after the recession property values have been slow to return to their norm, but over the last couple years the markets have stablized and values have climbed. He said if things continue on the track they are now, he anticipates both assessed values and taxable values will increase again next year.

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” he said.

Somers went on to explain there are several different classes of assessments conducted. There is residential, which he described as the meat and potatoes of the report, as well as agriculture, industrial and commercial properties.

For 2018 there was an increase of 1.42 percent in assessed value of industrial property, but commercial slipped by 2.56 percent and agriculture by 0.02.

Somers said just because assessments increased overall and taxable values went up for most, doesn’t mean everyone will have a higher tax bill. He said some neighborhoods may have had improvements to the homes in it and as a result the entire neighborhood increased in assessment. Somers said, a few low assessments could drag down the taxable value for a property, resulting in lower tax rates for others.

“There are a lot of variables, but just because the taxable value went up as a whole, doesn’t mean your taxes are going to go up,” he said. “If you made improvements to your home and added a garage or shed, well then, of course, your likely to see an increase.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached via email at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5689. Follow Steve on Twitter ss_alpenanews.