A mobile home owner has settled her case with Polk County over her tax assessment on the residence.

Bobbie Dawson said she and her son, Lance, took on the Polk County Board of Tax Assessors in a hearing before a judge in Buchanan Monday, Jan. 24.

The judge determined that $40,000 was a fair assessment for the Bellview Road residence and Dawson said her son agreed to that, even though she thought it was still too high.

“I didn’t get much of a chance to talk. The judge talked to the tax assessors most of the time,” she said.

Dawson said she still questions how the assessors’ office came up with the latest figure. She said they were using a 2008 National Automobile Dealer’s Association (NADA) book, even though they said they had a 2010 disk back at the office.

The NADA governs standards for manufactured and mobile homes.

However, Dawson said the upside is Polk County will not reassess the mobile home for three years. Previously, appraiser Shelly Staley said she was going to reassess next year and include the new roof and shed.

“I still don’t know whether or not the shed will be included in next year’s bill,” Dawson said.

The home, technically listed as a manufactured home, was originally assessed at $63,000. Dawson appealed to the Board of Tax Assessors but the board declined her request.

She then took it to Board of Equalization, which lowered it to just over $58,000. Dawson then opted to take the matter before a Superior Court judge, but was mandated to go through mediation first.

After mediation failed, a Superior Court date was set but that hearing was canceled and it was reassigned to a judge in Buchanan.

Dawson said she wonders how much the fight cost Polk County taxpayers and also wonders how many others are facing assessments that are way too high.

“Some folks should follow up on their mobile home and should have their assessments appealed if they are too high. There has got to be others out there,” she said.