WHEELING — Ohio County personal property tax forms are out, and they may be a little trickier to fill out this year for residents who lost vehicles during June 14 flash flooding.

Property tax forms sent to all residents are due to the Ohio County Assessor’s Office by Oct. 1.

Assessor Tiffany Hoffman said her office is seeking to have property lost in the flood removed from tax rolls now, so the owners aren’t taxed for it next year.

“For the flood victims – if they no longer have that car that’s listed, they need to cross it out (on the form) and write ‘flood’ above it,” she said. “And they should make sure their phone number is at the top in case we have any questions regarding it.”

Anyone who hasn’t yet received their personal property tax form should contact the assessor’s office at 304-234-3626, and a form will be mailed to them. One also can be picked up in the office, according to Hoffman.

Most residents who lost vehicles during the flood already have spoken to their insurance companies, who in turn have passed their information on to the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles indicating the automobile has been flood damaged and is no longer a usable car. Owners will be able to find record of these scrapped vehicles on the DMV website, and the listing should indicate the owner no longer has to pay taxes on the automobile.

Because of the sheer number of vehicles lost in recent floods, though, the DMV doesn’t yet have all of them listed, Hoffman said.

“Because we know it happened by July 1 – and we know those vehicles are no longer any good, and that insurance companies are giving them money for it claiming they are no good – that’s why we are asking them to take them off the books,” she continued. “They need to take them off their reporting form now so they don’t have to pay for them next year.

“We know that if they live in Triadelphia or Valley Grove they possibly could have had their cars flooded. But we don’t know (for certain) because the DMV isn’t showing it to us yet.”

Taxes on real estate property lost in the flooding isn’t a part of the personal property tax form, but tax assessments for the coming year will be based on property owned on July 1, 2024.

Hoffman noted it is likely flood victims who lost their homes will have to pay their current taxes for the year just past, but not going forward.

“If you have a house that is gone, you’re still going to get a bill due to West Virginia code, since it was there July 1, 2024,” she said. “That is sad news I hate saying, but there is nothing I can do with those bills. We’re a year behind.”

Hoffman said she and her staff do plan on going out into the flood-stricken neighborhoods in late August and September to reassess the properties.

The homes in these neighborhoods weren’t scheduled to be reevaluated for another two years, Hoffman added.

She also plans to arrange a town hall meeting sometime this winter in Valley Grove or Triadelphia to help people understand what is happening with property assessments on their homes lost to flooding.

“Even for people whose houses aren’t completely gone, we need to sit down with them and find out what their insurance has told them. Is it livable or not?” she said. “That will help us to value the houses. We wanted to wait until at least August to give people more time to learn what is going on with their insurance.”

Hoffman noted she and her staff have “a lot of work ahead of us.”

On a personal level, she added that her brother, Tom Hoffman – a member of Triadelphia Town Council – lost his home and a vehicle in the flood. He and his family are now living with her.

Other flood victims might not even return to the area, Hoffman acknowledged.

She estimated there are 300 properties in Triadelphia, 34 of which are “completely gone.”

Other homes, meanwhile, may be off their foundations and likely determined to be unlivable.

“The problem with that is if they are living in it, I have to turn them in to the health department – which I don’t want to do,” she added. “But if it is deemed unsafe, they shouldn’t be living in there. I understand, because where else are they going to go? I don’t blame them.”

If people are living in a home that is structurally safe but has foundation problems, Hoffman noted she can at least drop its value for tax purposes.

Mobile homes are considered differently and are reported along with vehicles on the personal property forms. As with vehicles, owners of mobile homes that were destroyed should scratch the mobile home off of the form and write “flood” above the information.

The impact of property tax loss may not affect county coffers much, but it will affect the town of Triadelphia. The town has its own levy rates, Hoffman noted.

“We don’t want to lose the town of Triadelphia, but it’s going to be hard for them – especially next year, when there is no value coming in on (property tax) values,” Hoffman said. “And some businesses aren’t reopening.

“The county is going to lose it, but it is going to devastate the town more than the county,” she said.

The Ohio County Assessor’s Office also will be doing high mileage checkpoints on vehicles in Ohio County from 5:30-7 p.m. on the following dates:

– Aug 13 at Warwood School;

– Aug. 27 at Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack; and

– Sept. 10, 17 and 14 at The HIghlands.

Inspections can be done at any certified inspection station, Hoffman added.