Letter to the Editor: Land Value
Last August my house, personal property and trees on Hideaway Road were lost to the Dixie fire. The structural value on the county tax rolls was promptly reduced to zero. But the land value remained the same.
Last February 4 I emailed our County Assessor Cynthia Froggatt concerning the evaluation of my land. I thought with my trees burnt the land value would go down. If nothing else, they had value as firewood. But to me it was the aesthetic value that I valued.
She referred me to Lisa Beck, appraiser for the Greenville area. Lisa said adjustments would be made in April or May. April 11, I contacted Lisa again. She said that they had not yet begun analysis in Greenville area, review process will begin in April or May. My property was on her radar. May 16, I inquired again. Here is her response.
Good afternoon Mr. Quinby,
We have completed our analysis for this year and unfortunately there is no data to suggest that land values in the Indian Valley area have decreased. I know that you are concerned that the value has dropped due to the lack of trees after the Dixie Fire. We do not assess trees unless they are located on a parcel that is designated as a Timber Production Zone (TPZ). As your property is not designated as a TPZ zone, there is no value to remove once the trees had been damaged and/or removed.
We are keeping a close eye on land values in the Indian Valley. Should the data we collect indicate that a reduction is necessary, we will make that adjustment.
Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Lisa Beck, Appraiser II
Plumas County Assessor’s Office
The Assessor’s office confirmed this as true.
Questions:
1. Why could they not say this last February?
2. Is this fair?
3. Am I alone in this or are there others?
Steve Quinby
Gilroy