PRESTON TAX OFFICE

The duty of the County Assessor under the West Virginia Constitution is to determine the value of real and personal property for the purpose of taxation. The role of the Assessor in the property taxation process is frequently misunderstood. People often say that the Assessor increased their taxes, but in reality, the Assessor’s only role is to fairly determine the “true and actual” value of real and personal property.

The Levying Bodies such as the Legislature of WV, the Board of Education, the County Commission and the City/Town Councils set their budgets and the rate of taxation (the levy rate). Your tax bill is determined by multiplying a tax rate against our assessed value, which is 60% of market value.

The Assessor also deals with Homestead Exemptions, Managed Timberland & Agricultural Use Properties, Public Utilities, Collection & Distribution of Dog Taxes, and the Certification Process

FACTS ABOUT PRESTON CO.

Formed in 1818, named in honor of James Patton Preston
Area equals 653.88 square miles
1990 population ----29,037
2000 population ----29,334
2008 taxable base $1,094,007,069
(CL 2—$484,089,400; CL 3—$504,994,342; CL 4—$104,923,327): (Real Estate—$684,538,700; Personal Property--$218,986,150; Public Utility--$190,482,219)
For tax year 2008 Homestead Exemption value was $66,620,566 (approximately $500,000. in taxes)
For tax year 2008 there were 485 parcels (69,923 acres) receiving managed timberland values.
For tax year 2008 there were over 1,900 parcel
(127,000+ acres) receiving agricultural values.
For tax year 2008 the Assessor’s Office maintained over 35,000 real estate accounts (which includes mineral accounts) and over 13,000 personal property accounts (which include over 800 business accounts).
For FY 2007-2008 the Assessor’s Office collected and distributed $26,440.00 in Dog Tax Fees.

Where Do Your Tax Dollars Go?

Approximately 60% of property tax dollars go to schools and education if you live in a district. County government gets approximately 39%, which is used to support the courthouse, jail, and various services such as: Economic Development, Health Department, Animal Shelter & Animal Control, Emergency Services, and Social Services. The remainder goes to the state. The school excess levy goes to the school System. Municipalities set their own levies with that revenue going to each of the municipalities.