Property owners in Hay Creek Township are being asked to open their doors to inspectors as a reassessment of all real property is being conducted by Vanguard Appraisals Inc.

Vanguard inspectors will be going door to door starting Monday, according to Burleigh County auditor/treasurer Kevin Glatt.

"The purpose of the reassessment is to equalize property values so that each taxpayer is responsible for paying their fair share of the property tax burden," Glatt said.

The township, north of Bismarck, has an estimated population approaching 5,000. Based on that figure, it is larger than at least 28 counties in North Dakota. It has a market value of almost $42 million, which would rank it about 40th among the state's counties.

"We've seen a lot of growth up there and, because of that rapid growth and because of the diversity in Hay Creek, it's been very difficult for the township to keep up with all the new construction and rapid increase in value," Glatt said.

In 1999, township board Chairman Neil Modine was the first to build in the 55-lot subdivision where he now makes his home. Since then, 49 other homes have been built. But this is only a portion of the homes built in Hay Creek. Modine estimates at least 600 more have sprung up, bringing the total number of residences to be inspected to about 1,200. There are a total of 3,300 taxing units in Hay Creek, including all lots.

Modine is optimistic that Hay Creek residents will allow inspectors into their homes. But he said that by state law they don't have to.

"If they refuse, they will still take pictures of the exterior and measure the building and put a value on the structure. You can often tell from the outside if there are extras on the inside. There will also be other homes to compare them with," Modine said. "If people who didn't allow inspectors into their homes get a higher assessment than they feel fair and come to the township board to complain, we won't even give them a hearing and tell them to go through the abatement process. If they do got through abatement, it's mandatory they allow an interior inspection."

The diversity of residences includes million-dollar riverfront estates built in the past couple of years to $40,000 ramblers built 40 years ago and everything in between, according to Glatt.

"Hay Creek did increase values in 2007, and there were some significant increases," Glatt said. "The reassessment will either confirm or refute the current values, and they will be adjusted accordingly."

"I'll be surprised if they find we overassessed anything, but it wouldn't surprised me that we've underassessed some. If they're underassessed, it's not fair to the others. It's our responsibility to make it as fair as possible," Modine said. "I know that in my subdivision there are buildings that are very similar, but the values are way different. That's unfair."

Modine admits that going with Vanguard, which supplies computer software to simplify the procedure once all the details are filled in, is expensive.

The county is paying about $70,000 for the software, according to Glatt.

"Along with the county, we researched this for almost three years and felt this company had the best process out there right now," Modine said. "It's a little pricey, but in the long run it will give us the fairest values."

The county is handling assessments for six unorganized townships, plus Gibbs, Hay Creek, Apple Creek and the city of Lincoln.

"We're presently sending assessments to Vanguard, which is converting those paper records to computer files. It will include a digital picture, footprint of the structure, how many bedrooms, square footage, all the pertinent data needed by the assessor to help compute value," Glatt said. "The software also looks at sales information to help establish a cost table. This will all add up to our computer-assisted mass appraisal system." The new values will be used for the 2008 assessment.

"The Burleigh County Sheriff's office as well as the township and county tax equalization office will be apprised of the areas where data collectors will be working," Glatt said. "They will also have a listing of all names and license plate numbers of anyone involved with the project."

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@;bismarcktribune.com.)