Commissioners ask staff to revisit Keystone acreage assessments after residents point to apparent inequity

Pennington County commissioners agreed on April 30 to ask equalization staff for a deeper review of land classification and access issues after a property owner's representative and a commissioner highlighted a sharp per-acre discrepancy in Keystone.

Dawn Puckett, an appraiser with the county's Equalization Office, presented Parcel 47798 (4.38 acres near Keystone), explained the local board reduced the land value for perceived inequity and said the county's sales-comparable approach put the parcel at about $38,200 per acre. She said the parcel is classified residential and nearby assemblage properties owned by K Bar S were classified commercial, which uses a different comparable set.

Commissioner Roskinek walked the board through aerials and asked why an adjacent, developed K Bar S parcel with improvements and Mount Rushmore views was assessed at roughly $14,000 per acre while the subject parcel was assessed at $38,200 per acre. He said homeowners and taxpayers deserved an explanation of the disparity.

Puckett said the neighboring commercial parcel was assessed by assemblage under common ownership and that access issues and classification differences drove divergent land-per-acre outcomes. After back-and-forth discussion, the commission voted to put the K Bar S comparables and the Harrison property back on the agenda for the second meeting in May and to have staff prepare a focused report explaining the methodology and any adjustments staff recommends.

"We need an answer," the chair said. "If it's appraised every year, how can it maybe we're missing something up here?" He asked staff to return with details before the assessor leaves at month-end.

The board did not change the subject parcel's assessment at that meeting but instructed staff to investigate access, assemblage treatment and whether reclassification or corrections are warranted.