Property tax assessments in the Mat-Su Borough are regulated by state law to ensure they are done periodically and fairly. Alaska Statute AS 29.45.110 requires municipalities to assess property at its full and true value annually, reflecting the property’s market value as of January 1 of that year. This ensures that assessments remain up-to-date and consistent with market trends.
Each year, the Borough’s Assessing Department determines the fair market value of all taxable properties. The assessment is based on factors like property size, location, improvements (such as new buildings or renovations), and market trends. Under AS 29.45.119 the assessor determines the full and true value of each property. Citizens are not expected, nor are they qualified, to value their own property.
For accuracy, borough assessors may visit properties to gather correct information about structures, land use, and any changes since the last assessment. They also often use aerial imagery and measure the land, improvements, and roofing square footage as well as property records, to ensure that assessments are as precise as possible. After applying any possible exemptions, the borough calculates the taxable value of your property.
The elected Borough Assembly sets a mill rate, which is the amount of tax per $1,000 of taxable property value. For example, if the mill rate is 10 and your property’s taxable value is $200,000, your annual tax would be $2,000. Property owners receive annual assessment notices, giving them an opportunity to review the borough’s valuation.
Why it’s Nearly Impossible to be a “Tax Cheat”
In the Mat-Su Borough, the property tax assessment system is designed to ensure fairness and accuracy. Here’s why gaming the system isn’t an option.
Thorough Oversight
The borough maintains detailed records of property ownership, transactions, and improvements. In the Mat-Su, however, there are no building permits required for single family homes; even owner-built homes. Changes to your property can only be seen via on-site inspections, or aerial surveys, which presents a challenge for assessors.
While Alaska law mandates an annual assessment, not every property in the Mat-Su Borough is physically inspected each year. Instead, the borough employs a combination of:
- Annual Review of Records: Assessors review market data, property records, and aerial imagery to update property values.
- Physical Inspections on a Rotating Basis: The Mat-Su Borough Assessing Department physically inspects properties on a periodic basis, often every 5-6 years, depending on the borough’s resources and schedule. This aligns with the borough’s goal of ensuring accuracy while balancing staff and budget constraints.
Public Transparency
Property assessments and tax records are public information. Anyone can access this data to compare properties and spot inconsistencies. This transparency makes it difficult for anyone to undervalue their property or hide improvements. But it also makes it easy for anyone with a bone to pick with their neighbor, or an activist with a political agenda, to weaponize the assessment department against a politician via the media and social media.
Periodic Reassessments
The requirement for periodic assessment is reinforced by the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, which ensures that municipalities follow AS 29.45.110. The borough is supposed to conduct regular reassessments to account for changes in the market and property conditions. This ensures that valuations remain accurate and up-to-date.
This regulation mandates that assessments reflect “full and true value,” which means they must stay current with market conditions. If a borough fails to comply, the borough, not the property owner, risks legal challenges and could jeopardize its ability to collect property taxes effectively. Between physical or aerial inspections, assessors adjust property values based on sales data and market trends to maintain compliance with state law requiring annual updates.
No Special Treatment
The rules apply equally to everyone—whether you’re a homeowner, a business owner, or a large landholder. Assessments and reassessments are based on objective criteria, not personal influence or negotiation.
Because the system itself is designed to treat everyone fairly and ensure that no one pays more—or less—than their fair share, it is not necessary to continually monitor the value of your home and property. Citizens are not expected to keep up with market conditions or the sales and valuation of property surrounding them.
Appeals
If someone believes their property has been unfairly assessed, generally when they feel the property has been over-valued, they can appeal. However, this process requires documentation, and any adjustments must align with market data and borough guidelines.
Conclusion
Property taxes are an essential part of funding the services that make life in the Mat-Su Borough possible. From educating our kids to keeping our roads clear and safe, these taxes directly support the needs of our community.
While paying these taxes is never enjoyable, the process is built on principles of fairness and equity. Assessors work diligently to provide accurate valuations, and property owners have a voice through the appeals process. This balance of rigor and responsiveness is essential to maintaining public trust.
And the assessment process itself is designed to be fair, transparent, and accountable, ensuring that every property owner pays their share based on the true value of their property. For Mat-Su property owners, this means that while your property value is reviewed annually, physical inspections may happen less frequently.
However, the combination of updated market data and periodic site visits ensures your assessment remains as accurate as possible. And because the process is guided by both local policy and state statute, there’s no room for intentional undervaluation or “tax cheating.”
Representative Kevin McCabe (R – Big Lake) represents House District 30, which includes Big Lake, Point MacKenzie, Willow, Cantwell, Healy, Houston, Denali, and Talkeetna. He was first elected in 2020.
This reads like somebody is being investigated for not reporting additions and improvements for five years…
Why? What in the article makes you think this? I just saw it as an article on how the assessment process works.
Thats a ignorant comment. I am a remodler in the valley. There is no building permit needed and no way to report additions or what they cost to the borough.
It was closer to 10 years that McCabe profited from lax borough oversight of his property appraisal. There’s no investigation, though, because no laws were broken. So whatever you do, don’t call him a “tax cheat”. He is just as honest a taxpayer as everyone else in the borough, just ask him, he’ll tell you the same. Never mind that everyone else paid full, fair freight for their properties, while it appears McCabe saved himself around $20,000. The bigger question here is why Mayor Edna’s administration, which has the technology to keep this from happening, allows it to go on.… Read more »
More taxes to, it sure looks like, to finance sanctuary, welcoming cities ? Re ; Fellow patriots, fellow Alaskans. Many patriots throughout history try to protect other citizens, fueled by the phrase “ and heartfelt belief of “ All for Liberty! “ We, our very homeland IS being invaded friends, please wake up ! Remember when Walker was installed as Governor and that foreign adversary country was about to build our natural gas pipeline and was about to be given 3/4 of our natural gas in the process ? This Governor Mike Dunleavy came out swinging against this tyranny and… Read more »
Dude, seek some mental health care, please.
The problem is the spending and subsequent increased mill rate. Quit spending.
Most of the tax dollars go to the school district. Which is…well…
A tax cap would help that.
Yup, too much school funding is exactly what’s wrong with the valley. How about the borough starts paying for its own law enforcement instead of freeloading off the State before getting too excited about decreasing the mill rate? The State of AK is constitutionally required to provide schools, not troopers! The real PFD thieves are the blood suckers in mat su – don’t produce any oil, fight against any revenue, but consume more per capita state spending than even the ‘socialists’ in Anchorage – and don’t even have the excuse of coping with the state’s homeless population the way Anchorage… Read more »
BWAAHAAAAAA. Looks like you are living in Skankorage. How is that going for you?
https://www.akml.org/legislative-advocacy/community-assistance/
Your numbers are incorrect. Anchorage gets the most.
Keep your nose in the city. Maybe focus on the crime and homelessness your Assembly seems to perpetuate. And oh… the special tax assessments coming down the pipe from multiple wrongful death lawsuits.
Leave out tax discussions to us adults.
As long as the Mat-Su continues to accept the socialism of having its law enforcement subsidized by the rest of the state, no MSB folks can honestly claim “adult” status in any tax discussion.
Being an honest property-tax payer is a matter of individual character and civic responsibility. If McCabe had either, he wouldn’t still be trying to play the victim over his tax avoidance windfall.
None of this rambling, likely AI-generated excuse-making by McCabe change the facts on the ground. Public borough records show that, for nearly ten years, the McCabes paid taxes on a 42 percent finished house that’s been completed for almost as long. There’s also a large barn/hangar on the property, two other completed homes, and several outbuildings that had no assessed value all those years and, therefore, no taxes were paid on them at all. While the McCabes were profiting by around $20,000 off this advantage, borough residents, most of whom lack the financial resources and political connections the McCabes enjoy,… Read more »