Nobles County property values rise 12%, Worthington residents see 6% increase – The Globe

June 22, 2024

WORTHINGTON – Residential property owners in the city of Worthington saw an average increase in value of nearly 6% in 2024, while the market value of agricultural land throughout Nobles County increased an average of 12,476%, according to information presented to the Nobles County Board of Equalization Tuesday evening.

The board of Nobles County Commissioners received the annual report from Nobles County Tax Assessor Val Ruesch. The meeting also heard appeals from several property owners requesting a reduction in the market value of their properties.

Ruesch reported that market values for small, rural residential properties remained unchanged from last year. She also noted that the communities of Grand Prairie and West Side each saw a higher number of land sales during the same period.

“In the brownfield changes in the municipalities, there were two districts with six or more sales. If there were six or more sales in a district, it is a separate district,” Ruesch said.

County assessed property values must be between 90% and 105% of market value. In both Grand Prairie and Westside townships, the market caused property values to rise. Grand Prairie recorded six sales during the year and saw a 20% increase in property values due to the market. Westside Township received a 12% increase to comply with the regulations, she added.

In addition, Ruesch reported that Little Rock and Lorain Townships saw vacant land values increase by 15% each, Worthington Township saw 12%, Leota Township saw 10% and Ransom Township saw -5%. In all other townships, there was no change in vacant land values.

Ruesch also informed the Board that there were 43 sales between independent parties during the period October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023, with the median sales price being 93.29% or within the required market range.

Ruesch said that while the value of the first acre has remained “stable,” the new maximum amount for the 2024 assessment, payable in 2025, has increased from $2.15 million in 2023 to $3.5 million in 2024. At the same time, property tax exemptions within the county have increased from $76,000 to $95,000.

In total, after adjusting for rural residential areas, small towns and the city of Worthington, 175 sales were between 90 and 105%, bringing the median for Nobles County to 92.5%.

Following the report, property owners in Nobles County submitted their requests to reduce the value of their properties. The board took the following actions:

The value of Frederick Korthals’ home at 1978 Bay Street in Worthington was reduced from $621,000 to $602,600.
The value of Bruce and Beverly Kness’s home at 719 May St. in Worthington was reduced from $998,700 to $933,200.
The value of Josh and Caitlyn Zimmer’s home at 112 Fourth Ave. S., Lismore, was reduced from $223,000 to $203,500.
The value of Larry and Patricia Koehne’s home at 313 S. First Ave., Lismore, was reduced from $167,600 to $135,600.
The value of Galen Krogman and Ruth Hubbling’s home at 133 N. Third Ave., Lismore, was reduced from $189,500 to $161,200 after an interior inspection.
The value of Barry Berger’s home at 925 Grandview Ave., Worthington, was reduced from $99,000 to $93,200.
The value of Amy Granholm’s home at 35039 Nobles County 35, Lorain Township, was reduced from $97,500 to $86,000.
Debra Anderson’s request to reappraise her home at 27022 Plotts Ave., Worthington, was denied because she refused to allow appraisers into the home.
A request by Francis Crowley, who purchased an 80-acre parcel in the southwest quarter of Section 6, Graham Lakes Township, to reduce the value of his property to the actual price he paid for it at the end of 2023 – $800,000 – was denied. The board left the value of the property unchanged.