LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A state report shows that following two consecutive years of declines, statewide assessed property values are registering a minor improvement, while Lake County's numbers still show minor decreases.

The California Board of Equalization's recent report showed that the total value of state-assessed and county-assessed property rose to $4.382 trillion for 2011-12, an increase of $11.6 billion, or 0.3 percent, from the previous year.

In addition, the value of county-assessed property increased by $5.3 billion, or 0.1 percent, to $4.297 trillion, while the value of state-assessed property, mainly privately owned public utilities and railroads, totaled $85.3 billion, an increase of $6.3 billion or 8.0 percent, the agency reported.

Lake County Assessor-Recorder Doug Wacker said each year he’s required to determine what the coming year’s tax roll will be.

For the coming 2011-12 year, he’s estimating it to be $6.64 billion, which translates into a growth rate of negative 1.33 percent, slightly better than the negative 1.5 percent the county roll experienced in 2010-11.

It’s a big change from tax roll growth seen earlier in the decade. Wacker said the county had seen 12- to 14-percent increases in some years.

“I don't see any real upward movement yet,” he said.

Wacker added that he hopes that land values start to improve soon, but cautioned, “It could be a couple more years yet. I hate to say it but it could be.”

He said the state has seen property value ups and downs since Proposition 13 was passed in the 1970s, including a slump in the 1990s, “but nothing to this degree.”

Lake's neighboring county of Colusa showed the highest year-to-year percentage increase, 19.5 percent, which the Board of Equalization said is largely related to utility assessments – which comprise more than one-third of the Colusa County's assessment roll – and was driven by the construction of a new power plant in the county.

The report showed that 20 counties posted year-to-year increases in assessed value, although jumps in value like those seen in Colusa County were not the norm, with only Kern, Madera and Trinity counties showing growth of more than 2 percent.

Thirty-eight of California's 58 counties experienced year-to-year declines in value, with Plumas County posting the largest decline, 5.3 percent. It was the only county declining by more than 5 percent, the state said.

The Central Valley, hard hit by the foreclosure crisis over the last several years, showed concentrated value declines.

The Greater Sacramento Area had a 2.9 percent decline, while the North San Joaquin Valley declined by 2.7 percent. The Southern San Joaquin Valley posted a 1.4-percent assessment value growth, which was attributed to the 2.4 percent growth experienced by Kern County.

California's 15 coastal counties, which account for over 60 percent of the state's total assessed valuations, gained 0.9 percent, while the state said that valuations in the 43 inland counties fell 0.6 percent, Southern California assessed values increased 0.7 percent and the San Francisco Bay Area’s values rose by 0.3 percent.

Of the 12 counties with rolls exceeding $100 billion, seven counties posted an increase in assessed value, while values in five counties fell. The Board of Equalization said values increased in the counties of San Mateo and Orange (1.0 percent), Santa Clara (0.9 percent), San Francisco (0.5 percent), San Diego (0.4 percent) and Alameda (0.1 percent).

Declines in value include the counties of Sacramento (-3.7 percent), Riverside (-1.2 percent), San Bernardino (-0.5 percent), Contra Costa (-0.4 percent), and Ventura County, which was only down slightly, virtually unchanged by percentage, according to the Board of Equalization.

Los Angeles County, with the largest assessment roll at $1.079 trillion, increased by 1.4 percent, up $15.0 billion over 2010-11, the state said.

Wacker and his staff have been proactive – and especially busy – with property reassessments under the Property 8 program since valuations locally began to drop in 2008.

While the tax roll closed in July, community members have until Nov. 30 to contact Wacker’s office to challenge their property valuation.

Wacker estimated his staff conducted more than 10,000 of the reviews last year.

“Our staff has been doing more of those than anything,” explained Wacker, adding that it’s becoming more of a challenge because his staff of 15 has been reduced by about a position and a half due to attrition, and budget cuts are keeping the jobs dark.

“We’re definitely going to have our hands full,” he said.

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