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<div align="center"><font size=6 color="#FF0000"><b>WHAT IS GOING
ON?<br><br>
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ALERT: #126<br>
</b>DATE: February 27, 2007<br>
TO: Incline Village & Crystal Bay Property Owners<br>
FROM: Village League Tax Revolt Committee<br><br>
<b>Dear Incline Village & Crystal Bay Property Owners,<br><br>
</b><x-tab> </x-tab>Just
in case you missed all of the latest shenanigans from the office of the
Washoe County Treasurer, you can read the following text of an
advertisement that was in yesterday’s (March 4th) Bonanza newspaper, page
5.<br><br>
<br>
<div align="center"><font size=2><b><i>
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$<br><br>
<br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=5>An Open Letter From
Your Washoe County Treasurer<br><br>
</b></font></div>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times">Dear Incline/Crystal Bay Property
Owners:<br><br>
In response to your many inquiries, please let me explain my position at
this point in time.<br><br>
I have issued refunds for the 18 parcels that pertained to the Nevada
Supreme Court's decision, issued December 28, 2006. All other valuation
reduction matters are subject to current appeals.<br><br>
May I advise that you make your 4th installment payments, timely, and in
the amount as originally billed. The due date is Monday, March 5,
2007.<br><br>
This 4th installment includes a portion of your Recreation Fee for IVGID.
A delinquency may, or may not, effect your "pass"
status.<br><br>
Should there be the need to adjust or recalculate your bills following
the appeal process, your refund will include appropriate
interest.<br><br>
The email being circulated alluding to this office holding a check from
an Incline/Crystal Bay taxpayer was based upon the anticipation of some
"direction" from the State Board of Equalization on February
21st. That date passed with only a setting of March 13,2007, as the date
to hear the Assessor's appeal. That action, or lack thereof, has
nullified the content of subject email. All tax payments are being
processed and deposited.<br><br>
Thank you for your patience and understanding in these trying and complex
times.<br>
<b>Bill Berrum<br>
</b>Washoe County Treasurer.<br><br>
</font><div align="center"><font size=2><b>
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$<br><br>
<br><br>
</i></b></font></div>
<x-tab> </x-tab>First, the
Treasurer attempted to take the position that the email which we called
to your attention in our last Alert was a fake!<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Thanks to
all of your phone calls and emails requesting an explanation, he finally
had to admit that email was actually true and that the office had offered
special treatment due to “extenuating circumstances” to one taxpayer, but
refused to offer the same consideration to any of the other similarly
situated property owners.<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Washoe
County Treasurer Bill Berrum has admitted that he has no authority in
statute or other Nevada law that allows him to unilaterally withhold
paying the property tax refunds that were granted to all of the 9000
Incline Village / Crystal Bay residential property owners by the Washoe
County Board of Equalization (CBOE) in March 2006! The ruling by
the CBOE, was ordered by the Supreme Court to be based on the reasoning
of Judge Maddox’ decision, which was subsequently Affirmed by the Nevada
Supreme Court last December 28, 2006.<br><br>
<br>
<div align="center"><font size=5 color="#FF0000"><b>WHEN WILL WE GET
REFUNDS?<br><br>
</b></font></div>
<x-tab> </x-tab>No effort
has been made by the Washoe County Commissioners, the State Board of
Equalization, the Nevada Tax Commission or the Washoe County Treasurer to
refund or even credit the overpaid taxes that are owed to you. In
fact, quite the opposite is true. All of you who actually spoke
with someone at the office of the Treasurer were told in no uncertain
terms that you MUST pay your fourth payment of the incorrect 2006-2007
taxes.<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>As we have
stated before, <font color="#FF0000"><b>WASHOE COUNTY WANTS YOUR
MONEY,</b></font> and will do almost anything to keep it. They
continue to over assess our properties, and try to sooth our rage by
pointing out that we are protected by the 3% Tax Cap. <br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Josh
Wilson, the new Washoe County Assessor, is currently facing a Contempt of
Court action for continuing to ignore the appraisal methods approved by
the Tax Commission, despite the decisions of the Maddox and Supreme
Courts, which ruled that the methods that had been conjured up by the
assessor’s office were illegal and unconstitutional. <br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>It is
obvious that Washoe County and the Assessor are counting on the State
Board of Equalization (SBOE) to overturn the CBOE decision granting us
the roll-back of our property taxes to the 2002-2003 year and the refunds
plus interest of the over charged taxes that we have been forced to
pay.<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>The SBOE
has no jurisdiction to even consider an appeal submitted by the former
Washoe County Assessor, Bob McGowan, over a year ago. We have filed
a Writ of Prohibition in the Carson City court of Judge Russell
requesting a ruling on just this point.<br><br>
<br>
<div align="center"><font size=5 color="#FF0000"><b>WHY DOESN'T THE
COUNTY JUST SETTLE UP?<br><br>
</b></font></div>
<x-tab> </x-tab>The only
answer that we can offer is that there are huge egos at stake as well as
enormous arrogance on the part of the County officials, including the
office of the District Attorney, Richard Gammick. <br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>When this
problem was first brought to their attention four and a half years ago, a
correction and a settlement of overpaid taxes would have cost the County
$55,000. Now, the refunds that are due, by the Order of the
Court, to all 9000 of the IV/CB property owners are in the millions of
dollars. Does this sound to you as if good business practices are
being followed?<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Due to the
fact that interest is accruing on the unpaid refunds, the amount due from
the County is growing exponentially. These are the same officials
that brought us the Ballardini Ranch fiasco, which cost the taxpayers of
Washoe County over $13 million dollars.<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>There is a
hearing next Tuesday before the combined Boards of the Nevada Tax
Commission and the SBOE. The Village League Board members and our
attorneys will be in attendance to represent you. We will inform
you as to the outcome, if there is anything to report, as soon as we
possibly can. So often, these hearings are choreographed exercises
in futility, the outcomes of which have been pre-ordained. Needless
to say, the results lead to enormous frustration.<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>
<font color="#FF0000"><b>If you detect a note of anger in this Alert, you
are RIGHT! The officials of Washoe County are thumbing their
collective noses at the State of Nevada, the law, the courts and the
rights of the property owners. They WILL be held accountable, and
that’s a promise!<br><br>
</b></font>Sincerely,<br><br>
<b><i><u>Maryanne Ingemanson<br>
</u></i>Maryanne Ingemanson, President<br><br>
Village League to Save Incline Assets Board Members:<br>
Maryanne Ingemanson,</b> President, <b>Ted Harris</b>, Tax Revolt
Committee Chairman,<br>
<b>Les Barta,</b> Law Research, <b>John Carney,</b> Analyst, <b>Wayne
Fischer,</b> Webmaster, <br>
<b>Todd Lowe,</b> Financial Analyst, <b>Dale Akers,</b> Historian, and
<b>Chuck Otto,</b> Public Relations<br><br>
<br>
<div align="center"><b>Village League to Save Incline Assets, Inc</b>.
<br>
an approved non-profit organization<br>
FEIN 88-0399029<br>
1165 Vivian Lane - Incline Village, Nevada 89451<br>
telephone: 775-831-4011, fax: 775-831-0325<br>
Email: mingemanson@charter.net<br>
<a href="http://www.nevadapropertytaxrevolt.org/" eudora="autourl">
www.NevadaPropertyTaxRevolt.org<br><br>
</a># # #<br><br>
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