Commissioners are to blame for assessments

An article written in the Daily Bee on Sept. 15, 2006, concerning the fact that property owners have no right to appeal our new property tax assessments. After reading the story, I was left wondering why a very important part of the story was left out — that being why we have no appeal rights. Bonner County Commissioner Karl Dye was quoted as saying, "We don't have to agree with it — it's wrong." What is very wrong is that our elected county commissioners decided not to do their job of hearing all the appeals, and instead threw up their hands, calling for a rollback to last year's assessments. The State Tax Commission, however, could not legally accept that proposal, which the commissioners had to know — if they did not, they would be very lacking in good sense and knowledge. We can appeal our new assessments but most likely would have very little chance of winning as the Idaho State Supreme Court ruled in a 1982 case that would could not appeal an assessment made by the State Tax Commission. So, by not doing their job, our county commissioners can now carry the weight of accountability of our present plight quite heavily upon their own shoulders, and I hope this is remembered when election time rolls around shortly.

SUSAN BISTLINE

Sandpoint