From today’s Chronicle,

San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting pledged Wednesday to clear within 24 months a backlog of thousands of property-tax assessments that is costing the city at least $2 million a year in uncollected revenue.

Ting, who was appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom in July and then was elected to the post in November, blamed the backlog on poor management by his predecessor and years of staff cuts in his department.

Calling the failure to promptly assess new construction or the higher value of a home sold for a profit to a new owner “a persistent problem,” Ting has promoted chief assessor Alex Tharayil to the position of deputy assessor- recorder. Tharayil will be meeting every other workday with a special team focusing on the backlogged assessments.

A conservative estimate from the department shows the city is failing to collect at least $2 million worth of assessments for new home construction, a projection Ting called “extremely low.” There is no estimate for how much more the city could tax for properties that have sold recently to new owners for a price higher than a previous assessment by the city.

On Wednesday, Ting said his office has identified 4,000 properties that should be reassessed generally because they have either been sold or received substantial improvement. An additional 18,000 properties are awaiting initial examination to see if a reassessment is warranted to bring their value in line with their true worth.

Office of the Assessor-Recorder [SFGov.org]

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