Answer Man: How big is tax bill for Pensmore Mansion?

Hey Answer Man! So much has been written about the Pensmore mansion, the Christian County castle off Highway 65. I bet a lot of readers are like me and would like to know how much the owner pays in real estate taxes. — Ray Cancilleri, of Nixa 

I've got your answer, Ray. But before I reveal it, those so inclined should write down their guess and place their bets.

If you've been in solitary confinement in Siberia, you might not know that the Pensmore Mansion is a 72,215-square-foot house that sits on a hill near Highlandville, in Christian County. It 's made of concrete, and the owner and creator is astrophysicist Steven T. Huff.

Ready now?

He paid taxes of $64,291.21 in 2015.

A sliver of that bill, $2,160, was for the surrounding 240 acres, which is zoned agricultural.

In Christian County, a typical or average property tax bill for a home is about $2,100, says Cindi Carey, who works in the Collector's Office.

With that size bill, Huff basically funds the annual salary and benefits of a first-year teacher in the Ozark School District. Of his total bill, $47,246 goes to the district.

I was unable to reach Huff for comment.

Huff's tax receipt is available online. But I also wanted to talk to Danny Gray, Christian County assessor: How do you  place a value on this unique residence?

"I don't really have a lot of comparable statistics," Gray jokes.

Gray has toured the mansion for assessment purposes three times, with Huff at his side, most recently on Dec. 30, 2014.

At the time, the residential wing was 90 percent complete and the rest of the building — the "castle" part — was 50 percent finished. The more work is completed, the higher the assessed value and tax bill.

He uses a market appraisal system that involves a dizzying number of  factors — including construction material, quality of work, size of building — to derive an estimated market value.

In this case, he valued the entire mansion at $5,995,010. This means the assessed value (19 percent of market value) is $1,139,050.

Gray will return to the mansion for another assessment at the end of this year. He relishes his visits, and not just because he has an insider's look at the castle/home.

"The part I enjoy the most is talking to Mr. Huff. He's just a very intelligent person."

Keep those questions coming. Send them to The Answer Man at 836-1253, spokin@gannett.com, on Twitter @stevepokinNL or by mail at 651 N. Boonville, Springfield, MO 65806.  

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