Well, we learned of at least 12 other mistakes when
someone sent us a letter saying they logged onto the
Assessor's website and saw many of their neighbors
were not being taxed on their homes. Keep in mind,
these were mistakes by the Assessor's office; not
something any homeowner had control over. After doing
our own research online, we contacted the Assessor's
office to find out: was this simply a clerical error,
a mis-print on the website? We were told, no, in
fact, the homes were missed. That means tens of
thousand of dollars in lost property taxes to the
County. Assessor Ralph Baker told us perhaps building
permits were not received by his office. He also told
Two on Your Side an apprentice appraiser assigned to
the area in question (Paradise, West of Highway 195)
messed up and was eventually let go.
What's interesting and puzzling is that when asked,
the Assessor said he had no idea what the scope of the
problem is: "we don't know what we don't know." So
that means an unknown number of homeowners in Spokane
County are not paying their fair share. The Assessor
has asked for a state audit to determine the extent of
the issue. It's a problem not likely confined to
Spokane County, but one with possible solutions, too.
The Assessor wants to computerize all building
permits, so his office would automatically know when
new construction is happening (the process is already
automated for Spokane Co., Valley, and City). He also
wants utility companies like Avista to allow his
office to scrutinize utility bills, so appraisers
could see when someone who only had a garage on the
tax rolls was using electricity equivalent to what
you'd see in a house.
What do you think? Will these measures "catch"
every home? Is this government overreaching its
bounds? Should the homeowners be forced to pay back
taxes? (the Assessor says thanks to a court ruling,
the law allowing him to get three years of back taxes
doesn't always stick). Let us know what you think.

-Dawn Picken