Real Estate Assessment Appeal Hearings

Real Estate Assessment Appeal Hearings For   Orleans Parish Property Owners To Begin Friday

NEW ORLEANS, LA- September 11, 2013 - Orleans Parish property owners appealing 2014 property tax assessments begin scheduled hearings this week at the Lindy C. Boggs International Conference Center at the University of New Orleans, 2045 Lakeshore Drive. The first set of hearings begin Friday, September 13, 2013. The property assessment appeal process is a function of the New Orleans City Council, acting in its capacity as the Orleans Parish Board of Review.                                            To ensure an accountable, efficient and citizen-friendly public process, the Council advertised a request for proposals to out-source the assessment appeal hearing process. To allow for additional hearing and document space and to accommodate parking as well as access to public transit, the comprehensive process was moved to the Lindy C. Boggs International Conference Center at UNO. The streamlined appeal system is designed to take a property owner approximately 20 minutes to complete.    Council Chief of Staff Evelyn Pugh said, "The Council felt strongly that the property assessment appeal hearing process should be fair and citizen-friendly. We took the hearings out of City Hall to streamline the process and cut wait times."   This week property owners began receiving hearing notification by mail. The hearing notification letter, was addressed to the property owner, and came from the New Orleans City Council, acting in its capacity as the Orleans Parish Board of Review. Annually, real estate assessments are opened and subject to review by the Orleans Parish Assessor. Property owners are advised that the most expedient and effective method to handle a disputed real estate property tax assessment is to negotiate a mutually acceptable resolution with the Assessor. Should that become impossible, state law, provides a hearing process by which property owners can appeal their property tax assessments.    Hearing officers are expected to hear more than 1,200 Orleans Parish property assessment appeals. To comply with state law, the appeal process must end by October 20, 2013. HGI Catastrophe Services, LLC, was selected following an advertisement of a Request for Proposal by the City Council to provide recommendations to the Board of Review and assist in the processing of Orleans Parish property tax assessment appeals through the hearing process.     For the 2014 Property Tax Assessment Appeal Hearing Schedule click here. Additional information about the 2013 Property Tax Assessment Appeal Process can be found at  www.OrleansTaxAppeal.com or www.nolacitycouncil.com Contact: Evelyn Pugh, Council Chief of Staff (504) 658-1082 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (504) 658-1082 FREE  end_of_the_skype_highlighting efpugh@nola.gov