INYO GETS APPEALING
Inyo County Supervisors approved the creation of an Assessment Appeals Board (AAB) at their December 3 meeting, and then staffed that Appeals Board at the December 10 meeting.
The Appeals Board replaces Supervisors, who formerly heard assessment appeals as the Board of Equalization.
Because these appeals ultimately affect tax assessments and county revenue, and because there are unique rules governing these decisions, Supervisors decided it would be best to remove themselves from this task.
There were five applicants for the five spots, and they were approved by Supervisors on Tuesday.
They are attorneys Paul Bruce and Terry Walker, CPA Randy Van Tassell and real estate agents/brokers Jennifer Castaneda and Stan Smith.
Appeal hearings require a panel of three, so not all board members will participate in each hearing – it will be up to Board Clerk Darcy Ellis to establish a rotational system.
City of Bishop Councilman Stephen Muchovej expressed skepticism about the AAB when briefed about the change by Supervisor Jeff Griffiths at Monday’s Council meeting.
Muchovej is skeptical A.) Of the Assessor’s office, which he said has been inconsistent in applying “catch-up” assessments from previous Prop. 8 reductions (he thinks they’ve tried to catch up too quickly).
“The Assessor’s Office has been non-responsive” to his complaints, says Muchovej, “And I’m not sure they’re fair.”
Muchovej also doesn’t trust having an appeals board being too realtor- heavy.
He thinks realtors would have an inherent bias towards higher assessed values, as realtor commissions are based upon those valuations.
Griffiths pointed out that Re/Max Owner/Broker Paul Oster has served on the Mono County appeals board for many years without incident.
Oster, in fact, has served on Mono’s board for 21 years and has chaired it for nine. Mono’s board is a three-person board which currently has one vacancy.
Oster said Mono averages about 4-5 hearings per year. He thinks Inyo’s board compositon out of the gate is very solid.
… And old Sheet hand Benham emerged from hibernation in the wake of the Brian Thompson (United Health CEO) killing. His submission:
SHAKE, RATTLE, AND ROLL
There’s an opening at United Health Care
You wanna be the next CEO?
The mob has its hero
but the police are gonna get their peace.
Lunch’s untitled reply:
It was neck and neck
as to what to do next
I didn’t have a job
I had only brief sexts
Please feel sorry for me
My back is a wreck
The Ivies are worthless
If you’re not into tech
So I showed the world that
The Penn is mightier
Than the middle aged man
with his back to me
