Washoe State Senate Candidate Gary Schmidt asks Assessor to reopen assessment/tax roles for Sun Valley for further reductions Gary Schmidt, after several weeks of discussions with the Assessor Josh Wilson has formerly asked the County Assessor to reopen the assessment/tax roles for Sun Valley base land values.

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Gary Schmidt and Garth Elliot win
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sun valley resident millions in over
assessed property taxes

Mr. Schmidts open letter to the Washoe County Assessor

To Josh Wilson, Washoe County Assessor
Mr. Wilson,
As I have brought to your attention and we have discussed several times over the last month or two I firmly believe that your Office should re open the property assessment/tax roles on so called trailer or mobile home land values in Sun Valley. I greatly appreciate your cooperation and consideration in these matters in the past including in 2007 during your first year in your office when I brought certain inequities and inconsistencies to your attention in regards to Sun Valley base lot assessments and you promptly addressed the matter. I am also appreciative of your efforts to visit all base lot values in the County each year instead of continuing with the old method of dividing the County into five districts and only addressing each district every five years. It is very important in a down market such as we have experienced the last couple of years and that is continuing to look at the entire County each year to be fair to all property owners throughout the County in regards to their property tax. As I know you are aware the State Tax Law requires you when you are noticed and/or you become generally aware of facts or conditions that effect property values to not wait for any particular cycle to address the issues. I appreciate that you have been diligent in reacting timely to the sinking market property values as is your responsibility under the law. I trust that you are monitoring other areas of the County for further rapid declines in value beyond the standard role closing date. As we have discussed I feel and I have sufficient recent land sales and listings in the Sun Valley market to trigger a reopening of the roles in Sun Valley as to base land values. As you are aware said value dropped steadily throughout 2009. Since your office completed its work on said values as of July 1, 2009 for the 2010/11 assessment roles and made a determination of a 1/3 acre more or less base land value of 49,000 dollars my research and analysis has determined that in the last 6 months of 2009 the values dropped another 10,000 or so to around 39,000 land sales/values per land lot. At around 5, 000 said lots in Sun Valley and at around 100 dollars per lot applicable tax adjustment down per lot this would amount to a figure of over assessment/taxation for Sun Valley of approximately 500,000 dollars. I trust you are aware that Sun Valley is one of the more economically challenged communities in the County and that you will address this matter forthwith in a timely manner as you have in the past. I stand ready to meet with you or your designee to discuss my findings and opinions in this matter. We of course still have the pending matter of how the sewer and water service hook up fees should properly be addressed within the Sun Valley General Improvement District under existing Nevada State Tax Law.
I very much appreciate your anticipated cooperation in these matters,
Gary R. Schmidt
Former Member of the Washoe County Board of Equalization
Sun Valley property owner and resident