Property Taxes and Assessments

Property Tax Assessments for the City of Baltic are determined by the Minnehaha County Department of Equalization as of November 30th of each year and are generally mailed to home owners in January or February. These assessed values are then used for taxation purposes for the following year. 

Any homeowner who feels that assessed value is incorrect may file an appeal to the Local Board of Equalization, which consists of the Baltic City Council plus a member of the Baltic School Board. Appeals must be filed with the City Finance Officer. The deadline for filing an appeal is by 5:00pm the Thursday before the 3rd Monday in March. All appeals will be heard starting the 3rd Monday in March. 

The Local Board will make a decision based on comparable homes and justification made by the home owner. The Board may decide to lower the assessed value or leave the assessment as the County determined. If the homeowner does not agree with the Local Board's decision, they may then appeal directly to the County.

Some points to note:

  • Generally, there is an overall increase to the city as a whole.
  • Please review your entire tax notice.  At the bottom, it breaks out the overall tax amount.  It shows exactly how much each entity receives. No one entity receives the entire amount.
  • Any decision by the Local Board of Equalization may be reversed by the County Board of Equalization. Any decision by the Local Board to decrease the assessed value of a home will only be in effect for 1 year. At the next assessment period the decrease will be removed before the County adds any city-wide increase. Example: The Local Board decides to lower an assessed value from $275,000 to $250,000. Property taxes will be assessed on $250,000 for 1 year only. The following year the assessed value will revert to $275,000 and any city-wide increases will then be added.
  • The only method of making a long-term change to the assessed value of a home is to contact the Minnehaha County Department of equalization. They are more than happy to visit with homeowners and do on-site/in-home visits to determine if there is any error in their determinations.