Latest news with #TimBarr
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Morristown hosts the Tennessee State Disc Golf Championships
MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (WATE) — Disc Golfers from across the country gathered in Morristown on Sunday for the Tennessee State Disc Golf Championships. The annual tournament tees off every year during the first weekend of June. Morristown proudly calls itself the disc golf capital of the state, and this weekend, that title was on full display at Panther Creek State Park. Sunday marks round three, the final day of the Tennessee State Disc Golf Championships. Tennessee Valley Authority leads Douglas Lake 'Community Day of Service' 'Morristown has really built up a very good core of disc golf courses, and the city governments, the chamber of commerce's, the parks departments, they're all heavily involved and really looking to keep making this a big event every year,' explained Tim Barr the Competition Director for the tournament. This year's event featured five different courses and 529 players, ranging from nine years old to over 75 years old.'There's a lot of courses in Tennessee, but you have to have every single piece in place for a big event like this to come together, and it all starts with government, with the parks department, with the chamber of commerce being heavily involved. That makes a big difference,' Barr Robinson, a Disc Golfer in the mixed pro division, traveled from Asheville, North Carolina to compete. He says this tournament is one he never misses.'This park is a bomber course, so if you like to throw far, this offers everything that you need. You're going to be able to shape your shots. You're going to be able to throw it really far, really hard every time. But also just the area in general has so many courses and so much to offer with, I mean, just the restaurants and the disc golf scene across the state,' said sport itself continues to grow, known for being beginner friendly and budget friendly.'I really like the way the discs float through the air and glide. There's a lot of shape manipulation that you can do,' explained Luke Wondergem another Disc Golfer in the mixed pro division. 'One last family supper' Knoxville coffee shop to close Other Park locations throughout Morristown that were utilized during the tournament included Cherokee Park, Frank Lorino Park, Wayne Hansard Park, and Mossy Creek Course at Carson Newman university. First place finishers in all divisions received a trophy. 'Pro division always impresses, men and women, so every year we watch these players come out and it's just like every year they get better, and they throw it farther and they make longer putts. And it's a lot of fun to watch,' said Barr. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reassessment notices arriving in Schuylkill mailboxes
POTTSVILLE — County residents have started to receive their change of value notices for reassessment. The first batch of notices has been sent, confirmed Tim Barr, project director for Vision Government Solutions, the Massachusetts-based company hired in December 2022 to do a countywide reassessment. 'We want to help people,' he said of any residents who have questions. Residents will have the chance to appeal valuations in July through October. Property owners will have the chance to ask specific, parcel-related questions about data collected during the informal review process. Informal reviews and formal appeal hearings will be held at the former Schuylkill Transportation building at 252 Industrial Park Road in the Saint Clair Industrial Park . Residents can schedule informal reviews by phone by calling 1-800-525-9876 or by visiting the website, Barr, who has been conducting property reassessment work in Pennsylvania for 40 years, said the purpose of reassessment is to ensure tax fairness. 'The whole point of the reassessment is to bring uniformity to this,' he said, adding their will be errors they find in the data, which will be corrected as needed. That means that two homes with similar valuations, as set by the current conditions and market values, should be taxed at the same rates. The reassessment is required as part of the settlement of a lawsuit filed by the Community Justice Project on behalf of Schuylkill County property owners. The nonprofit contends the county's current tax assessments violate state law. The last countywide reassessment was conducted in 1996. In some cases taxes went up, and in others they decreased, he said. Commissioner Larry Padora said he is taking calls from constituents, with some questioning the veracity of the information since their taxes went down. Taxes will not be affected until 2026, when the valuations take effect. The county will mail official change of assessment notices to property owners by July 1.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reassessments coming for Schuylkill County property owners
POTTSVILLE — Property owners in Schuylkill County will soon receive mail packages with updated valuations of their properties as calculated in the county's ongoing reassessment project. Vision Government Solutions, the Massachusetts-based company hired in December 2022 to do a countywide reassessment, is in the process of updating assessed values for all 92,000-plus parcels and will mail them to each property owner in April. Residents will have the chance to appeal valuations in the coming months. Tim Barr, Vision's project director, hosted an informational meeting on Wednesday explaining the process, including how to file informal reviews once the initial values are sent. About 60 people attended the meeting in the auditorium of D.H.H. Lengel Middle School; it was one of five such sessions held across the county. Barr, who has been conducting property reassessment work in Pennsylvania for 40 years, said the purpose of reassessment is to ensure tax fairness. That means that two homes with similar valuations, as set by the current conditions and market values, should be taxed at the same rates. 'At the end of the day, it's about similar properties paying the same taxes,' Barr said. The reassessment is required as part of the settlement of a lawsuit filed by the Community Justice Project on behalf of Schuylkill County property owners. The nonprofit contends the county's current tax assessments violate state law. The last countywide reassessment was conducted in 1996. 'Without tax reform in Harrisburg, the basis for funding local government is still tied to the real estate tax,' Barr said. 'We'd all like to see that change, but in the meantime, we want the assessments to be as fair as we can make it.' Barr explained that the valuation of each residence often depends on factors such as its age, location, topography and renovations, as well as the state of its surrounding properties and area. 'Historically, we've seen location and type make a difference,' he said. For commercial properties, access to parking could be a factor. 'A lot of commercial businesses are surrounding these plazas and stuff since that's what the market has evolved to,' Barr said, 'since the days when we would walk down the street to our local store.' Taxes will not be affected until 2026, when the valuations take effect. Project phases Barr said the data collection began in 2023. Tentative valuations will be mailed to property owners in April. During this phase, through May, people can request informal reviews — online or by calling 800-525-9876 — if they disagree with the preliminary values. This will give them a chance to ask specific parcel-related questions about data collected. 'When we mail these values … this is the most important thing I want you to think about: Is that a reasonable price for this property?' Barr said. '… If it's in the ballpark, we're good, you're done, you don't have to do anything at all, and it'll take effect for next year. 'If, however, your response is, 'They're out of their mind if they think they're going to be able to sell it for that,' then the first thing I want you to do is to look at your data.' Barr encouraged people to share more details about their property — not just a physical description, but other factors that might affect its value. Notices sent in the informal review period will also include an estimate of what the county tax would be for each property in 2026, Barr said. Even though values will have gone up, because millage rates must go down, the actual taxes may decrease, increase or stay the same, noted Barr. Once that phase of the project is done, the county will then mail official change-of-assessment notices to each property owner by July 1. If they wish to do so, owners will have 40 days from the mailing date to file a formal appeal, for which the county will schedule hearings through October. Hearings will be conducted before a three-member appeals board, and the property owner must provide supporting evidence to prove their assessed value does not reflect the market value. 'In an appeal, you have to have an opinion of value,' Barr said. Barr said that Vision has trained data collectors to record all information on physical characteristics of properties. The appraisal process, meanwhile, is done by licensed professionals in Pennsylvania. Vision is responsible for exterior physical inspections of every property to determine any changes that may affect the property's value. The data also takes into account the property's location and other properties surrounding it, whether residential or commercial. Barr said the physical evaluation of properties is based on existing county records. 'We're going to put the true numbers of what we think the properties are worth on your parcels,' Barr said. 'I'm not going to go soft on it. And they'll be as uniform as we can get it by looking at the market.'
