Welp..... so much for the ice.  At least on the main lake south of the 285 causeway.
 
Boat load of Mallards in open water just to the north of the causeway.  Didn't see any Geese though, wassup wid dat???
 
Tried to git a 'neak-a-boo peek at Tuttle Camp Ground today but the 'tupid gate, was closed.  So I zoomed on over to McDonald's in Andover where I had a facilime of a burger and fries, before filling up the truck with gas still costin $2.29 a gal.
 
Whilst en-route home via Williamsfield Rd, stopped by Mast Mini Barns for a look see what there was.  Seem like decent prices, anybody have recommendation(s) or comment regarding their product?

Not familiar with that particular company for quality, but have bought numerous sheds over the years, they can make them often for less than I can buy the materials for. With that being said you need to watch the prices closely, often things I would consider 'standard' when I am building something they consider an option or upgrade.... such as treated wood in the floor and 3/4 inch plywood rather than 1/2". It adds up quick. The mini barns are often a great option and site prep will go a long way towards improving longevity.

psu_fish
I was unaware Crawford County, did a re-assessment? Or did they come around and assess all the stuff that wasn't on the tax rolls? Or did they increase the predetermined ratio?

 Mercer County also did re-assessments this fall for all properties for 2019 . They take pictures from the air and compare to older photos.... they see what's added new, different ,or gone. I got busted (tax raised ) for 2 sheds I put in years ago. They actually came and measured them sometime when I wasn't around to be sure. Any new building over 120 sq. feet is taxed. There go's my Trump tax break.....from the Fed to the county to the state.   

Fisherlady thank you for your input I appreciate it. A couple things I've picked up on is 4 x 4 skids VS 4 x 6 skids along with dimension and spacing of floor joist. Very true on the plywood flooring as 3/4" is used for garage style buildings. I specifically mentioned parking a 2500 pick-up in the building weighing in at 10,000 pounds and it was recommended doubling the floor to the tune of 400+ dollars.

I appreciated the dude being up front and letting me know now cause additional work/repairs after delivery could be mighty expensive. In addition, the overhead doors only measure 6.5 feet in height so there is an additinal fee for a standard garage door. Of course, there is the different exterior finishes along with roof covering making it all very interesting in buying a free standing storage facility.


Captain, I was approached early this summer by some dude saying he was with Mercer County and he was doing follow-ups on property taxes. He said he was visiting all the property's where new structures have been noted and of course my home appeared to have an addition, not listed on the initial assessment docs. There was a 12 x 16 deck added to the back of the house by the builder but apparently, after the original assessment was completed. That was in 1997 when the house was built. He had to take measurements because the deck was attached to the house.

Didn't raise my taxes but I found it interesting the dude shows up after all these years. Then I thought, I did get estimates from several contractors for a 36 x 40 pole building and my conspiracy feeble mind immediately wondered if, the one contractor may have ratted me out cause I rejected his bid.

But no, a few phone calls mainly to verify the tax dude wasn't somebody casing my place (remember the conspiracy thingy) and that's when I found out "Google" is watching.

Yep, these creeps are using Google to view property's then go for a reassessment unlike Crawford County, who said screw it and just raised the taxes for everybody. Most by 150% or more.

Here is an article in todays Titusville paper on taxes. My property taxes rose by $11.25, so I guess I got off easy..
http://www.titusvilleherald.com/news/article_d9ae90ec-041a-11e9-b2c6-a3e755dc11ba.html

I heard a rumor they were using drones to survey new assessed buildings or additions but that was false ....airplanes with cameras I was told. My taxes jumped 80 bucks per year ....I got to get more camo netting laid out!  Beware of the eye in the sky . 

BeenThereDoneThat.


Yep, these creeps are using Google to view property's then go for a reassessment unlike Crawford County, who said screw it and just raised the taxes for everybody. Most by 150% or more.

Where are you getting your information? I own property at the northern end of the lake. Our taxes have barely changed much at all. Even the article above mentions the last time an increase occurred:
 
As the budget currently stands, Crawford County will see a three mill raise in the real estate tax in 2019, and a one-tenth of a mill jump in the county library tax. One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 in a property’s assessed value.
The increase is the first major climb in the county’s taxes in several years. Outside of a quarter-of-a-mill increase in 2016, the county’s taxes haven’t gone up since 2011.
Commissioner Chairman Francis Weiderspahn said that the county has been able to forestall any tax increases by using reserve money to cover increasing costs. However, that reserve is starting to run low, according to Soff.
The real estate tax is the county’s primary source of income, according to Weiderspahn.
Meanwhile, the library tax is set to receive its first raise in 32 years under the budget. The increase was requested by the Crawford County Federated Library System in May. According to Benson Memorial Library Executive Director Justin Hoenke, the current library tax amounts to roughly $9 per person per year, and the increase will tack on about $3 extra to that mount.
 
As you can see taxes haven't been majorly raised in 8 years. Now, if you put in for a permit to say put on a roof or add a structure . That  would trigger a reassessment and you could see a hefty increase. There was no across the board tax increase in Crawford county that raised taxes by 150%.  Even the proposed increase would only raise taxes by approx $150 a year on a property with an assessed value of $50,000. So again, there was no major real estate tax increase in Crawford county and there hasn't been in a number of years. A new one is on the way, but the exact millage has yet to be determined. But the jump won't be much considering most properties are assessed very low. Take a look at Crawford counties website and check the GIS mapping. If you look at an area north of causeway around the Tuttle area or south of causeway say around  Shaker Rd, you will be hard pressed to find a property that has an assessed value over $20,000. There are houses that last sold for close to $100k and are assessed at $18k. Most are in the 10k to 15k range. If you do the math , a modest increase dollar wise is in the future. But somebody paying $700 a year now is not going be paying $1,750 (150%) increase.

Well that sounds good and even gooder if the taxes remain the same.

I've been searching for homes in the Crawford county area for nearly a year now. When I look at the taxes paid last year VS taxes this year, it is not unusual to see an average tax increase of 150%.

When, where, why or how I know not but every property my wife and I have investigated, shows a substantial tax increase.

I for one, have no problem with the new assessment figures as most are equal or less than my present taxes. However, one who may be paying $700. annually may be a tad bit upset with new assessment figures.

Perhaps this link might spread some light. I dunno......

https://www.meadvilletrib...b3a7-b7e9a67356ce.html

Quite a few years ago when I lost my job due to plant closing, we had to get a loan to pay the bills the new job didn't pay well enough to cover. The bank told us we were paying to much in taxes for the value of the property. We had been for 3 years. We were over assessed because they thought the barn had running water and electric. (no wires ran to it) No water either. It was redone and promptly told we could not go back the 3 years and get the money we were being over charged. Don't know if that was true or not, we didn't fight it. Just happy to have lower taxes.

Well last year I got brief letter saying Crawford county was lowering my prop tax bc they had my neighbors barn(which is only an old foundation no building standing on it) listed on my property for 12 years.They were looking thru satellite photos and realized the mistake.I called and asked if I can get refund and I think it was 5-6 years they could refund I had to write a letter stating I was over charged and wanted refund.I did receive 3 checks months later you should have fought it olds-pa.I also have heard they fly around in airplanes looking at properties.Jus saying...WCW