Hot Off The Press !!!

ALERT: #70
DATE: May 13, 2005
TO: Incline Village & Crystal Bay Property Owners
FROM: Village League, A Non-Profit Organization - FEIN 99-0392009

Dear Friends of the Village League,

If sometimes it seems that we have not been keeping all of you “up to date” on the progress of our Tax Revolt, please accept our apology. There are so many things going on behind the scenes, that we run out of hours in the day.

First: All of your votes in favor of our Bill, AB392, did the trick. It passed unanimously from the Assembly, and today was passed unanimously by the Senate Committee on Taxation. The next step up the ladder is a vote by the entire Senate, which I feel very positive that we will win. I really think that we have made it happen!!!

Assemblyman Lynn Hettrick was terrific in agreeing to carry the Bill for us, and then following through on his word, as he always does. We owe him a HUGE debt of gratitude, and our most sincere thanks.

Your second round of votes, in opposition, helped to remove the “Gestapo” parts of SB394 by Amendment, and kept SB486 from being passed at all!!! YOU ARE GREAT.

3% Property Tax Cap
We also got the attention of the Legislature! For those of you who are not in the area, or are not following the changes to the laws that are being made, a 3% tax cap on residential properties has been signed into law by the Governor. This is not the ultimate panacea. But for an interim fix, it surely does help.

Thanks go to Dale Akers and Ted Harris for their lobbying efforts.

Gary Schmidt
The outpouring of Emails that over 160 of you sent to the Washoe County Commissioners on behalf of Gary Schmidt really hit home. They have postponed a decision regarding his removal from the County Board of Equalization two times. The next scheduled hearing in this regard is on May 17, 2005. He is not out of the woods yet. Three of the five Commissioners seem determined to try to keep him from being able to vote on the County Board of Equalization. Another flood of Emails would certainly be appreciated. David Humke is the swing vote on this one.

Send comments via email to: dhumke@ncjfcj.org

Our 8% Property Assessment Rollback
As you probably know, the Assessor filed an Appeal to the State Board of Equalization on our huge win at the County Board of Equalization. No hearings have been scheduled as yet.

Attorney Tom Hall, will once again, be representing the 1200+ appellants who petitioned their taxes in February, and all of your paper work will be taken care of by the League. You do not have to be present at these hearings.

Now, for the really BIG NEWS
Attorney Tom Hall will be filing an Amendment to our lawsuit in Carson City before Judge Griffin. I know that you are going to appreciate this! The Amendment is against the Washoe County Assessor, Robert McGowan, personally. THIS COULD BE THE TURNING POINT!!! I feel a "Check-Mate" coming.

Because of what we have discovered in the last three years about our assessments, the taxation methods used by the Assessor and other illegalities, this lawsuit will create a “domino-effect”, right up the chain of command. Those Agencies that were supposed to be overseeing the accuracy of the system are also going to be held accountable. They are feeling the noose starting to tighten as we speak.

We need additional financial support
We have been fighting our property taxes on several fronts at the same time, which is an unbelievably expensive. The legal bills are staggering, as you can imagine. Unfortunately, this is the problem with taking on any government bureaucracy. Their defense strategy is to make the struggle last so long that the coffers of the citizens are drained, while they are fighting us with our own tax dollars.

It was almost a year ago that the League asked you for donations. WE ARE ASKING AGAIN NOW. We are so close to winning the battle. We cannot let this opportunity slip through our fingers.

Anything that you can contribute will truly be appreciated. Click here for more information on how to make additional contributions to the Village League.

Sincerely,

Village League to Save Incline Assets Board Members: Maryanne Ingemanson, President, Ted Harris, Tax Revolt Committee Chairman, Les Barta, Law Research, John Carney, Analyst, Wayne Fischer, Webmaster, Todd Lowe, Financial, Dale Akers, Historian, and Chuck Otto, Public Relations

Village League to Save Incline Assets, Inc. - Non-Profit Corporation - FEIN 88-0399029

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