Some Pike County residents may have been a little surprised last week to find their property value appraised higher than it has been before.

But, Pike County Revenue Commissioner Curtis Blair said that’s not uncommon.

“Properties are reevaluated every year,” Blair said. “Some went up. Some went down.”

And Pike County Chief Appraiser Dennis Rodgers said actually that most went down.

“On average, property values have decreased,” Rodgers said. “There are just a few areas that have gone up, but 75 percent of the county has decreased value.”

Rodgers said appraisal notices were sent to county residents who saw an increase in their appraisal value this year, though property taxes aren’t actually due until October.

Rodgers said properties are appraised based on sales in the areas of the homes.

“We go from October 1 to September 30 to use the sales of all properties,” Rodgers said. “Then we compare the sales in the areas to justify whether the value’s up or down.”

Rodgers said he doesn’t have a measure of the average property appraisal values, but he said in a time where property values are down across the country, the same holds true for most of Pike County.

“There’s 27,700 parcels in this county, and 15,800 went down 3 percent on average,” Rodgers said.

Blair said property tax bills won’t be sent out until in September, and payments will not have to be made until October.