No. Petitioners may indicate on the petition or submit a written statement at least five (5) days prior to the hearing that the petitioner does not wish to be present at the hearing, but would like their evidence to be considered in their absence. The petitioner would then be excused from attending the hearing and will have their evidence presented to the Special Magistrate on their behalf.
Even if not attending the hearing, it is the petitioner’s responsibility to submit evidence to the Property Appraiser to meet the requirement of the statutory evidence exchange. Evidence may be sent to the Property Appraiser via email at [email protected].