Supervisors to discuss property tax abatement
Aug. 15—The Wapello County Board of Supervisors is expected to discuss a resolution to abate property taxes at a certain location during Tuesday's weekly meeting at the courthouse.
The location, 521 Ottumwa St., was donated to the City of Ottumwa by Bella Vista Real Estate LLC after the home on the property became a total loss from a fire after an inhabitant was smoking in the residence.
In a letter to the supervisors, Belinda Smith-Cicarella said that, despite the demolition of the property, the county assessor's office believed there was increase in the property value, leading to $1,478 in past taxes due.
The company donated the property to the city to help it address its housing needs in the future.
Smith-Cicarella said that the house wasn't fully insured at the time of the fire, as the company was in the process of installing a new roof, and remodeled kitchen and bathroom.
"Our bad. Live and learn," she said in the letter.
The company is asking the supervisors to abate the taxes, since she claimed the property wasn't worth anything between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022, and it is asking to have taxes for this fiscal year removed to complete the donation to the city.
In other business:
—The supervisors will review its application for roads to either become farm-to-market roads, or be removed from that list. It was proposed that just over 17 miles will be added to the farm-to-market system, with just over three miles being removed.
The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in the third-floor courtroom/board room of the courthouse.
Ottumwa City Council
The council will meet in council chambers at City Hall, with not a lot of new business to handle.
Most of the meeting will feature items that require another reading of proposed ordinance changes, such as a change to the fire code, public safety advisory committee.
Two items that are expected to pass with the final reading of their respective ordinances are to the state electrical code and vacation of a public right-of-way on the west end of Ottumwa for Elliott Oil's fuel station project.
In regard to Elliott Oil, there is also a public hearing scheduled to transfer property to the company.
The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. and can be viewed on the city's YouTube page.
— Chad Drury can be reached at cdrury@ottumwacourier.com, and on Twitter @ChadDrury
