By Sara StrongCounty Assessor Tom Houselog said many property owners are starting to look rich … on paper, anyway. That’s happening because sale prices for land are on the increase. In other words, sale values are driving up the assessment values.Property owners will soon find out just how their values stack up, as they receive their valuation notices from the county.Valuation is the first step in the taxing process for all the taxing entities.For example, assessments for land in Springwater Township were far less than what property was selling for. To make the assessed values closer to the sale values, Springwater values were increased by 20 percent last year.Overall, increases in ag land will be 8 to 9 percent. Each township valuation increase will be between 6 and 20 percent, with Springwater getting the largest increase.Luverne’s assessment increase range was between 2 to 6 percent.Houselog said the assessments are just reflecting that people have been willing to pay a high price for land.Houselog presented this information to the Rock County Board of Commissioners for their information, because the Board of Review starts in April. Those meetings allow people to get explanation of value changes, and a place to contest them.Following is a report of sales in the county from Sept. 1, 2002 to Oct. 30, 2003.Number of agricultural sales by township:Battle Plain — 1Beaver Creek — 2Clinton — 2Denver — 0Kanaranzi — 2Luverne — 4Magnolia — 1Martin — 0 Mound — 0Rose Dell — 2Springwater — 5Vienna — 1Farm land only sales, by township: Battle Plain — 1Beaver Creek — 2Clinton — 2Denver — 0Kanaranzi — 2Luverne — 4Magnolia — 1Martin — 0Mound — 0Rose Dell — 1Springwater — 5Vienna — 1Residential sales, by city:Beaver Creek — 4Hardwick — 5Hills — 12Jasper — 0Kenneth — 0Magnolia — 1Steen — 2Luverne — 68Residential sales, by township:Battle Plain — 3Beaver Creek — 2Clinton — 0Denver — 0Kanaranzi — 0Luverne — 1Magnolia — 0Martin — 2Mound — 0Rose Dell — 2Springwater — 3Vienna — 0Commercial/industrial sales:Martin Township — 1Hills — 1Luverne — 12
