Longview Hills @ Newport Oregon

An Email Conversation with Rob Thomas, Lincoln County Tax Collector

On 11/2/06, Rob Thomas wrote:

Ron,
If it is not feasible to have an informational meeting concerning property tax, I would be happy to send up some good publications and informational pages about the system and appeal process. You could sort through and post (on your web page) anything you feel is helpful for your residents, or just leave them in your public room as a handout.
Of course, a meeting is still available if some folks feel it would help.
Rob Thomas


Rob,

The meeting is turning into a logistical problem.. I think you have a good idea here. It puts the onus directly onto those that are upset. I would do both. Putting them on the website and on the reading table.

The concerns that are being voiced are the feeling that by reappraising the properties a back door has been found to violate the rule of no more than a 3% increase in tax. People are aware that houses sold for a higher value in the last few months and they are also aware that that market is now cooling off and their chances of capturing such a value is also going down.

That aside they feel a sense of injustice in that those that profited from the sale of their homes have left with swollen pockets but the residents that live here are stuck with paying higher taxes because of them and not because of anything that we as a group did.

Then there is the problem that you will raise the owner of the real estate's tax also which in reality he does not pay... He merely passes it on to the leasees in the form of a rent increase. So we are hit again indirectly.

We would argue that our homes are valued by you folks as if they were real property which they are not.

Most of these people have their entire life savings tied up in these homes and are on a fixed income. Over time their ability to pay higher taxes will erode to the point where they must make choices about what to give up so they can pay higher taxes. That equates to the older they get the poorer they become.

Now Social Security does give an annual cost of living increase but when you exceed that with taxes and cost of living something has to be given up.

I think from these arguments you may be able to see the kind of information and guidance that we need.

Thanks for your kind offer,
Ron Thomas

Ron,
Thanks for the kind words. I'll have Dan bring up some information packets tomorrow.

Many people are confused by our two newest constitutional amendments (measure 5 and measure 50) and how they affect the assessed value of property.

The informational packets I will send help to explain how the 3% rule applies to unchanged properties where the real market value is above the maximum assessed value......that's where the confusion usually occurs as its the maximum assessed value and not the real market value that the 3% rule applies to.

Anyway, please feel free to continue studying and discussing Oregons' property tax system.