NPTR: Alert #227: Voice of Authority

[Wayne Fischer]

VOICE OF AUTHORITY
 
ALERT:#227
DATE:December 30, 2009
TO:Incline Village & Crystal Bay Property Owners
FROM:Village League Tax Revolt Committee
 
Dear Incline Village & Crystal Bay Property Tax Protesters,
 
The following excerpts are from the latest article published by the Nevada Policy Research Institute (NPRI) and corroborate what the Village League and the citizens of Incline Village and Crystal Bay have been presenting to the courts for the last 7 years.
 
Investigative Reporter John Dougherty interviewed Hank Vogler, an outspoken member of the Nevada Tax Commission, who shared his thoughts on property tax issues.
 
 
Tax commissioner: Legislature no help
By John Dougherty
December 29, 2009
www.NPRI.org
>>>>>  
 
Discussing a wide range of property tax issues in a recent interview, Vogler distinguished himself as the only current member of the eight-person commission to agree to an interview with NPRI as part of its ongoing series on Nevada property taxes.
 
>>>>>  
 
Ground zero for Nevada's contentious property tax debate is the wealthy, Lake Tahoe enclave of Incline Village, Vogler said.
 
"If you want to really get into the hornet's nest, look at the difference between Washoe County and Douglas County with Incline Village and Lake Tahoe," he said. 
 
In the mid-2000s, property taxes for Washoe County homes in Incline Village and adjoining Crystal Bay along the North Shore of Lake Tahoe were running triple those for similar high-end properties along the South Shore of the lake in Douglas County. The differences in taxes, Vogler suggested, was based on how the assessors in each county interpreted state laws to assess property.
 
"In Douglas County, that tax assessor, God bless him, looked at it one way," Vogler said. That way, according to state and county records, was a very conservative approach to valuing property, under which property tax increases remained relatively modest even in the real estate boom of the mid 2000s.
But a different story played out in Washoe, where county commissioners were faced with surging budget needs to meet the demands of a rapidly expanding population centered in Reno.  Vogler said it appears that Washoe County looked to Incline Village as an easy fix for budget shortfalls.
 
"With an expanding Reno, maybe the county looked at Incline Village as a revenue source," Vogler said. "Their properties were all worth millions of dollars, so hell, if you could afford a million dollar property, what's wrong with getting jabbed with a few more taxes?"
 
>>>>>  
 
This freewheeling approach by county assessors runs contrary to recent landmark Supreme Court rulings that require county assessors to only use appraisal methodologies that have been formally adopted by the Nevada Tax Commission. But assessors have not warmly embraced the court rulings, said Vogler.
 
>>>>>  
 
“The assessors have their mandate from the fire departments and the schools and everybody, ‘Hey, we have to have more money!'" Vogler said.
 
"And the board of equalization has the taxpayer yelling, ‘Hey you guys, the guy across the street just sold his house - it sold for $300,000 two years ago and sold it for $80,000 yesterday. And you’re going to say my taxes should go up to compensate for that? Bullshit!'''
 
>>>>>  
 
"Maybe this is a big enough crisis," he said. "Somebody is going to have to step up and say, ‘You know what? We need to clear our plate here.'"
 
--- End of Selected Paragraphs ---
 
If you are interested in reading the whole article, please click on the following link:
http://npri.org/publications/long-and-bitter-taxappeal-season-expected
 
 
Perhaps Washoe County District Attorney Dick Gammick will take heed and stop filing frivolous actions against the taxpayers of Incline Village and Crystal Bay in his continuing abuse of the justice system.
 
REMINDER!  You should send a “Payment Under Protest” form with every tax payment submitted to Washoe County. The forms can be accessed by going to our website at:
   www.nevadapropertytaxrevolt.org   then click on Forms in the Menu. 
 
Our very best wishes for a Happy New Year.
 
Sincerely,
 
    Maryanne Ingemanson
 
Maryanne Ingemanson,President
Village League to Save Incline Assets
mingemanson at charter.net
www.NevadaPropertyTaxRevolt.org
 
---------------------------------
 
Village League to Save Incline Assets Board Members:
- Maryanne Ingemanson,President
- Dale Akers, Historian
- Les Barta,Law Research
- John Carney,Analyst
- Wayne Fischer, Webmaster
- Todd Lowe, Financial,
- Chuck Otto, Public Relations 
 
Village League to Save Incline Assets, Inc.
Non-Profit Corporation - FEIN 88-0399029
1165 Vivian Lane, Incline Village, NV 89451
Phone: 775-831-4011, Fax 775-831-0325
 
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