Douglas County property owners will be seeing an average of less than a 3 percent increase in their valuations this year, County Appraiser Marion Johnson said this morning.

Johnson met with county commissioners to tell them valuation notices will be mailed Feb. 28. The state requires that notices be sent out by March 1.

The 3 percent increase is an average for both residential and commercial properties, Johnson said. He estimated that up to 4,000 residential properties will see values decrease.