Property tax refunds are granted for 13
By TRAVIS PURSER
Express Staff Writer
Thirteen Blaine County landowners are scheduled to receive
a total of $5,000 in property tax refunds this summer, following an appeal
last year and approval Monday by the Blaine County Board of Commissioners.
The refund on 2000 taxes is the latest of several that
followed the county assessor’s revaluation of agricultural home-site
properties last year to bring them up to market value.
Following changes in the state tax code, many farmers and
ranchers found the tax value of their one-acre home sites increasing from
about $17,000 to $130,000, resulting in a 700 percent increase in taxes.
During a 15 minute meeting Monday, however, the board
agreed to reduce those valuations by a total of $816,273 for the 13
landowners.
Receiving reductions were Kante Wein ($130,000 to
$95,000), Stephen Dick ($120,000 to $95,0000), Elekton Corp ($260,000 to
$150,000), Robert Fosnot ($117,373 to $60,000), Steven Edsall ($110,000 to
$60,000), Renegade/McGlochlin ($250,000 to $150,000), John Flood ($125,000
to $75,000), George Brown ($148,900 to $75,000), Bolich, Hamilton &
Parsons ($200,000 to $75,000), Jack Young ($100,000 to $75,000), Thomas O’Gara
($125,000 to $120,000), Harold Drussel ($55,000 to $45,000) and Wesley
Foster ($100,000 to $75,000).
County Assessor Valdi Pace said her office will mail out
assessment notices for the 2001 tax year by June 4.
"Obviously, we are looking at the situation for our
2001 values and will make adjustments," she said. But "I’m not
going to say we’ll bring down values as far as" they are now.