BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- A number of Kern County homeowners are receiving letters claiming they can reduce their property taxes after paying a fee.

The letter comes from a group called "Property Tax Adjusters" which is supposedly based out of Granada Hills. In the letter, the group claims that, for a fee of $189, they will reassess a property's value and lower its property tax.

Kern County Assessor Jim Fitch, however, warned people not to use that service. He said he and his staff do that same job, for every home, every year, for free.

"We've been very aggressive, very proactive in lowering values in residential properties," Fitch said of his department's work.

According to Fitch, in 2008 they lowered the values of 50,000 Kern County properties, and in 2009 they lowered 100,000.

However, the letters come at a time when homeowners have just paid their 2009 property tax and may be looking to save money.

But listening to the letter will cost you.

"This has happened before," said Fitch. "People have gone off and paid, and then contacted us. We tell them, you're in the system, we've reviewed it and have already lowered (the value)."

The Assessor's office is getting ready for the 2010 adjustments, which will start in January. "250,00 properties will get a lower value this year, some substantially lower," said Fitch.

So before you fork out a fee for a free service, Fitch asks homeowners to pick up the phone, "Please contact us if you have a problem with the valuation of your property. We spend a lot of time, a lot of tax payers dollars in staff in getting these values correct."

The Kern County Assessor's Office can be reached by calling (661) 868-3485.

If you're dissatisfied with your home's assessed value, Fitch says you can go before an Assessment Appeals Board and they will determine what the value should be.