☆ Cupertino Vice Mayor: SCC plan to charge for property value appeals “too aggressive”
Santa Clara County recently set property tax appeals fees far higher than in LA and SF, says Cupertino Vice Mayor Liangfang Chao. Having opposed Measure A as “good money after bad,” she’s once again calling for a “more prudent approach” to revenue seeking. An Opportunity Now exclusive comment.
From the staff report, I see the County currently collects no fees for assessment appeals, even as the number of appeals has increased tenfold since 2019. While introducing fees makes sense, jumping from $0 to full cost recovery—nearly $400 to $800 per case—seems too aggressive. LA County charges $50 and SF charges $120. A more prudent approach might be starting with 50% cost recovery while also exploring ways to reduce costs.
I would also be interested in seeing a cost comparison across counties to determine whether our current costs are in line with others before adopting a full cost recovery model.
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