On Wednesday, Supervisor Lee Adams (Sierra) testified before the Senate Governance and Finance Committee on behalf of RCRC in support of RCRC-sponsored Senate Bill 447, authored by Senator Jim Nielsen (R-Tehama). SB 447 authorizes two or more counties to jointly create one or more Assessment Appeals Boards to hear property tax assessment disputes.
Thanking Senator Nielsen for his leadership on this issue, Supervisor Adams also took the time to recognize Senator Ted Gaines (R-El Dorado) and Assembly Member Brian Dahle (R-Bieber) for their support as co-authors of the legislation.
“My home Board continues to sit as the Sierra County Board of Equalization,” said Supervisor Adams. “Since the real estate bubble burst of the last decade, we have locally seen an uptick in appeals. We have also seen such appeals becoming increasingly complex, especially those which are non-residential, or are the result of non-open market transfers. As a result, we have looked at the option of creating a separate Assessment Appeals Board. Due to the increasingly complex issues involved, the membership of such a Board would be well suited to have those appointed possess some background and expertise in this discipline, yet also not involved in any particular transaction. In a county of just 3,000, such conflicts can be tricky, and Senator Nielsen’s bill would allow for a greater pool of candidates to pull from.”
Supervisor Adams was joined by Supervisor Ron Hames (Alpine) in expressing support for SB 447. SB 447 passed out of the Senate Governance and Finance Committee (7-0), and will now head to the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC’s sponsorship letter can be accessed here.