New Orleans, La. -- The long lines on the first floor of City Hall Friday had their roots elsewhere.
On the fourth floor, in the waiting area of the assessor's office and even beyond the doorway, people perturbed by higher assessments showed up in droves.
"Assessed at over 50 percent of what it was last year, and the year before last, and we haven't done anything with our house, we haven't added on," said homeowner Gilda Boyd. She and her husband reside in New Orleans East.
"That has got to have some impact upon the property that we're presently living within," said Kenneth Boyd as they waited outside the assessor's office.
"An old lady at 87 can't get a job and have fixed income," Elmeader Hinton said of herself as she and her daughter left the office. They complained about Hinton's assessment going up about 15 percent. Though they were not successful in getting the higher assessment reduced, Hinton did secure a fixed assessment going forward.
"It brings some relief, yes, but by her being 87 they should let it remain as it was in 2005," said Hinton's daughter, Letha Armstead.
"I got my ticket, my second ticket," Rebecca Mark remarked. She was elated she had finally moved upstairs from the first floor line around lunch time. She had arrived at City Hall four hours earlier.
"My property in Uptown has doubled in price and there have been no real improvements, and no real need to double the property, and it was out of line with all the properties on my block," said Mark.
Assessor Erroll Williams anticipated a late rush. When the property tax rolls were first opened on August 1 for public inspection, there was a slow response. Now, Williams says, media publicity and mail issues have his office averaging 500 people a day.
"Some of the notices were being received by people late," Williams stated.
The assessor's staff tries to resolve many of the issues, but Williams said frankly a lot of the people who show up want to speak directly to him.
"Everybody has the right to disagree with their assessor, okay, and we have the right to disagree with them. We try to find some compromise," Williams said.
In the French Quarter, property owners are in fight mode. Many say they have been hit with $60 per square property foot assessments.
"I hear that some people are mounting a group of people to file an appeal on the last day, so they're welcome to come file an appeal," Williams continued.
Williams stands by what his office has come up with. "We believe that our rate that we've assigned to the Quarter, okay, is a fair rate… We're trying to figure out fair market value of the total property," he said.
But people citywide said the higher assessments are too much to ask.
"No. We're both retired," said Gilda Boyd.
The tax rolls will close on August 15 and the public has until August 20 to appeal assessments.
