Property value assessments for 2010 are under way in select Ohio County neighborhoods.

Data collectors are visiting residents in the following sections of the county: Mozart; South, East, North and Center Wheeling; Clinton Hills; Bethany Pike areas; Table Rock Lane; Betty Zane; GC&P Road and Bethlehem.

Assessor Kathie Hoffman said data collectors will be carrying photo identification cards and using vehicles marked ''Ohio County Assessor.''

''The state mandates that we visit a third of the properties every three years,'' Hoffman said. ''Don't let them in unless they have a picture ID.''

She said data collectors will take notes on the exterior of a home and ask to enter a structure; however, people are not obligated to let them inside. They also will take photos.

''You don't have to let them in ... but they may see something your eyes don't see,'' Hoffman said.

For example, an exterior crack also may have caused damage inside a home, which could result in a decreased property value.

New additions or remodeling add to a property's value. New paint, a new sink or other maintenance-type work does not add value. Installation of new windows, new siding or a new roof also is considered maintenance. Hoffman noted records of building permits also are checked by her office.

Data collectors then give the information to a county appraiser, who may also revisit a property before doing an appraisal.

Hoffman noted her office does not determine the amount of taxes one will pay on their property, though the assessment does play into the equation.

The assessed value multiplied by the levy rate equals one's tax bill.

''I'm doing whatever I can to make my assessments as fair and equal as can be,'' Hoffman said.