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HomeMy WebLinkAboutM081302 . 1820 Jefferson Street P.O. Box 1220 Port Townsend, WA 98368 James A. DeLeo WUUam S. Marlow Richard A. Broder. MINUTES AUGUST 13, 2002 William S. Marlow Richard A. Broders James A. DeLeo Chairman Vice.Chairman Member Chairman William S. Marlow called the meeting to order at 11 :30 a.m. in the presence of Vice-Chairman Richard A. Broders and Member James A. DeLeo. HEARINGS Harold Thayer & Karen Nystrom.Thayer 240 Leininger Drive Yakima, WA 98901 BOE: 02.20.LO 02-21-LO PN: 601021018 601 021 019 Mr. and Mrs. Thayer were not present. Appraiser Peter Schuck represented the Assessor's office and was sworn in by Chairman Marlow. The property under appeal consists of two (2) parcels of land located off of L. Lee Valley Road, Quilcene. Each approximately 4 acres in size. There is a small cabin situated on parcel number 601 021 018. The appellants stated in their petition that "We request the Board undertake a site visit of the properties before you reach our property. We feel that the County is penalizing us for following the guidelines by putting a well and septic on the property when others are not. We were working toward bringing utilities to the property and eventually build. We are questioning building there and are worried that we will never see the amount of money we invested. We agree that property in general is going up everywhere and one would assume that buying is a good invesnnent. When we first purchased the property we had expected the County Health Department inspectors, and were promised by them that something would be done, about the neighboring properties when they were coming out to make sure that our septic and well were installed correctly. We find it very disconcerting that we are penalized for doing things legally when others are allowed to pile up their properties with trash like in a landfill, abandoned vehicles like in a wrecking yard, fire hazards, human waste, petroleum products and chemicals. The problems are not only right off the road but infest the entire properties. The property that sold on the hill above us for around $30,000 to $35,000 was well before you get to the three properties that look like landfills. It behooves the County and all property owners to make sure that their properties don't degrade to such a condition that they bring down the surrounding tax base. We have expressed our concerns to the Assessor, Peter Schuck, who will be talking more about the condition of the area at the hearing. Mr. Schuck did state that this area is the worst in the County and refer to the area as the "dog run". We want to reiterate that the Board needs to do a site visit and get out of their vehicles and look around." The appellants feel the value of parcel number 601 021 018 should be reduced from $35,060 ($30,900 for the land and $4,160 for the improvements) to $14,160 ($10,000 for the land and $4,160 for the improvements) and that the value of parcel number 601 021 019 be reduced from $13.020 to $8.000. Phone (360)385-9100 Fax (360)385-9382 jeObocC@Co.jefrersoD.wa.UlI Board of Equalization Minutes. August 13, 2002 Page: 2 Mr. Schuck slated that since the time of the last valuation four years ago, the appellants have installed a well and septic system on the property. The parcel with the cabin has a good view of Hood Canal and some view of the Cascade Mountains. A portion of the increase in value for this parcel (#601 021 018) is attributed to site improvements such as the septic, well, and generator. The bare land parcel (#601 021 019) was given a minimal value as it is very wet. An adjustment of 50% was given for topography problems and another 50% adjustment was given to address the lack of access and utility. Comparable sales were presented in support of the current assessed value. After reviewing all the information submitted and hearing the testimony of the Assessor's representative, Chairman Marlow closed the hearing. The Board will conduct a physical inspection of the property and make a determination at a later date. Marin Dasler 15679 Pt. Monroe Drive Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 BOE: 02-16-R PN: 701153016 Mr. Dasler was present. Appraiser Peter Schuck represented the Assessor's office. After explaining the hearing process, Chairman Marlow swore them in. The property under appeal consists of approximately 9 acres on the waterfront with an "A Frame" type building located at 1310 Toandos Road, Quilcene. Mr. Dasler stated he met with a Real Estate agent in the area who alerted him to the fact that in her opinion the property is significantly overvalued because the property is actively sliding. The problems with the property are not easily seen as there is a bluff 250' high from the water. In 1998 there was a severe land slide on his property resulting in the collapsing of the bank. This created a very large escarpment. He presented photographs illustrating how the slide pushed land and debris several hundred yards out into the water creating an island that in places was 20' high. He was hoping that overtime the bank would stabilize, however, it has not. A great deal of sand continues to slough, further eroding the property. The slide has damaged the widest part of his property and the bluff is undercut and dangerous. He is not even sure if he still has 9 acres of property left. As shown in the photographs, sand and silt covers the property and fills the air when the wind blows, making the property uninhabitable. The Assessor's representative compared it to Mount St. Helens ash. The problem with the sand is not confined to the bluff. Sand blows several hundred yards from the bluff to the back of the property. For these reasons he believes the property value should be reduced. Currently the property is assessed at $153,240 ($140,035 for the land and $13,205 for the improvements). Mr. Dasler estimates the value to be $113,000 ($100,000 for the land and $13,000 for the improvements). Mr. Schuck stated that when he visited the property he noticed there was a fine white powder that was all over the property. It was not until he spoke with Mr. Dasler on the telephone that he learned the powder was sand which had blown from the bluff. He does not contest that there is a slide on the property. However, there have been dramatic sales of properties also located in the immediate area where the land slide occurred. The impact of the slide is the determining valuation factor. An adjustment of 20% was given to this parcel and other parcels affected by the slide. Comparable sales which were used as basis for the current assessed value were then discussed. At the conclusion of his testimony, he noted that during his valuation he did not see sand and silt on any parcels in the area, other than the appellants. . Board of Equalization Minutes. August 13, 2002 Page: 3 After reviewing all the information submitted and hearing the testimony of both parties, Chairman Marlow closed the hearing. The Board will conduct a physical inspection of the property and make a determination at a later date. Meeting adjoumed. Attest: JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION t~ cf{. ';h~1L t/~" . Erin K. Lundgren, Cler~ ~fJt~e Boa1ct I- William S. Marlow, Chairman f3J.J~ Richard A. Broders, Vice-Chairman ~ '" f1 ' ,.{9v.. ;&..J es A. DeLeo, Member