Mediaboss Marketing

A Monongalia County homeowner is suing the Kanawha County assessor's office to get computerized data used for determining tax assessments.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A Monongalia County homeowner is suing the Kanawha County assessor's office to get computerized data used for determining tax assessments.

David McKain, an engineer who owns a house in Monongalia County, filed the lawsuit Thursday in Kanawha Circuit Court. McKain went to court after officials in the assessor's office would not release Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal data that assessors use to determine real estate property values.

McKain argues the computerized information is public information under the state Freedom of Information Act. He wants the court to rule that the records are public, order assessors to release the information and pay his court costs.

"I don't know that they're doing something bad in Kanawha County," McKain said Friday. "I just want to determine if they're doing what they're supposed to do."

McKain said he bought a home in Monongalia County in 2007, but was surprised when his taxes jumped by about 60 percent the next year. He became concerned about the way real estate was assessed in the county, and asked for the computerized data assessors use to figure out property values.

McKain said he won a court battle in Monongalia County to get data similar to what he is requesting of Kanawha County officials. He said assessors in Monongalia County have since changed the way they determine property values.

McKain, who runs the tax reform website http://www.monfairassessments.org, said he asked for Kanawha County appraisal data to see how other counties determine property values. McKain requested Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal data for a single home on Oakmont Road in Charleston from 2005 through 2012.

But Steve Sluss, staff attorney for Kanawha County Assessor Phyllis Gatson, said local officials don't think the computerized appraisal data should be open to the public.

"We believe it's private information about peoples' homes," Sluss said. "We ask a lot of detailed information about their homes that they probably don't want other people to know about."

View post:
Homeowner wants computer data on tax assessments