County valuation down

Weston County’s valuation dropped for the third year in a row, falling to $172,438,668, a 11.4% decrease from last year, according to Kara Lendardson, Weston County’s assessor. 

“From last year to this year, our local assessed (value) was down approximately 14.1% and our state assessed (value) was down approximately 8.3% independently,” she said. 

Total local assessed value for 2025 was $88,307,957 (down from $102,815,821), while the 2025 state assessed valuation totaled $84,130,711 (down from $91,701,495), she said. Locally assessed values include residential, commercial, industrial and agriculture lands, business equipment and oil and gas equipment, while state assessed values include mineral production, utilities and railroads. 

According to a breakdown of the valuation categories, nearly every group included in the state assessed valuation saw a decrease in value from 2024 to 2025. The exceptions are airline companies, which showed an increase from $98 to $166, cable and satellite companies with an increase from $115,862 to $149,374 and cellular telecommunications with an increase from $66,867 to $72,101.

The information also shows that railroad values alone dropped by over $3 million from $19,835,944 to $16,056,930. Oil value also dropped significantly from $30,628,171 to $28,412,561, while liquid pipeline value decreased from $33,953,994 to $32,778,399. 

A lower valuation means less money in public coffers, and Lenardson told the News Letter Journal that this year the county implemented the long-term homeowner’s exemption, the homeowner’s exemption and the 4% increase cap for the 2025 tax year, which combined to decrease tax collections by more than $1 million. 

“The estimated total tax amount unrealized due to these exemptions equated to approximately $1,362,303,” she said.