HANNIBAL, MO. -- UPDATED: June 21 at 4:51 p.m.
Some Marion County residents got a shock when they opened their property assessments last week.
More than 46 hundred property owners got word that their property tax assessments went up...and in some cases the increases were dramatic.
One example is the Hannibal Monument Company.
Owners saw a 242 percent jump in their assessment.
Meanwhile the Marion County Assessor's office is busy taking calls and walk-in visits from folks with questions and concerns about their bi-annual tax assessments.
Mark Novak has been the Marion County Assessor for less than two years.
He says these drastic changes to assessments stem from past assessments which were either inaccurate or not true to changes in market value.
The county is under scrutiny from the state of Missouri which noticed the discrepancy.
Now, property owners are being hit with higher assessments and, ultimately, higher taxes.
Novac said, "Some properties are at market value, some properties are not. We're trying to fix them all so everyone is assessed accurately. It just needed to be fixed a long time ago and it just kept getting delayed and delayed until it got so bad."
About a third of the county's 15 thousand parcels were affected by the increase.
Novak says he petitioned the state for a gradual assessment increase for residents and business owners.
The state tax commission says that wasn't an option.
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UPDATE: June 21 at 1:45 p.m.
Roughly 4,600 tax assessment notices out of 15,000 parcels were affected by the increase in Marion County. Right now the tax assessors office is receiving calls and people are filing into the office trying to get answers.
Marion County Assessor Mark Novak says assessments are up because many properties were not assessed properly or with market value of many years.
Novak says he asked the state about graduating the increases, but the state said that would not be fair to those who pay the full price.
Keep checking back for updates at watch KHQA's news at 6 p.m. for the complete story.
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Some Marion County residents got a shock when they opened their property assessments recently.
Folks we talked to say their bills reflected a 200 percent increase in property values, which means more taxes.
KHQA's Melissa Shriver is talking to the Marion County Assessor today to find out why folks are feeling the pinch.
Are you one of the residents business owners who own property in Marion County, Mo.?
We want to hear from you if this is affecting you and your property!
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