Contributed photo
INSIDE
Golf, track and field are here and with them comes the Weekly’s Spring Sports Preview on page 4.
Lopezians visit D.C. for BLM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3
Waldron preservation
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5
Sheriff’s log
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6
www.islandsweekly.com 360-468-4242 • 800-654-6142
Concerned farmers question tax audits By Cali Bagby
The farmers were noticeable not by their denim and muddy boots, but their expressions both somber and frustrated. They, and several other concerned citizens, took their turns sitting before the council at a special Lopez meeting on Tuesday and voicing their concerns relating to the Agriculture Current Use Taxation Program. Their complaints were
slightly varied, but one thing was clear – they were upset. “Our community needs to wake up,” said one Lopez resident. She added that County Assessor Charles Zalmanek has a dramatic impact on landscape. “When people drive the valleys in the future they will see ranchette after ranchette because lands will come out of agriculture, and become developed with houses and
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corporate farms,” she said. She called the assessor’s approach to the issues as “having the fat cow now, and no cows later.” The Agriculture Current Use Taxation Program is under the Open Space Taxation Act, which was enacted in 1970 to allow property owners to have their open space, farm and agricultural, and timber lands valued at their current use rather than at their highest and best use. In 2007, the Department of Revenue sent a report to the assessor’s office, stating that because of the lack of internal controls on the administration of the Current Use
Reservations accepted – 360.468.3700 or reservation@bay-cafe.com Biscuits & gravy served with roasted red potatoes Brioche french toast with cinnamon, orange & mascarpone Two eggs, sausage links served w/ bacon apple hash & toast baguette Fresh fruit parfait • Seasonal quiche • Dungeness crab omelet
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Cali Bagby/ staff photo
Above, concerned citizens took their turns sitting before the council at a special Lopez meeting on Tuesday and voiced their concerns relating to the Agriculture Current Use Taxation Program. Program there is a higher risk of abuse. In 2008, the assessor’s office sent a farm audit questionnaire to all San Juan County property owners enrolled in Current Use Farm and Agriculture Programs. Due to a software transition and budget and staff reductions, the auditor’s office was not able to follow up on the responses to the farm audit questionnaire until 2010. In every budget proposal since 2007, Zalmanek has
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Grand Opening
Our Buns are Back! Stop by and say hello!
Sunday, April 1st 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
468-4911 (Find us next to Isabels)
Opening Wed. April 4 Wed.-Sat. 7-5 • Sun. 7-4 Closed Mon. & Tues.
468-2133
DOWNSTREAM with GENE HELFMAN
Tuesday, March 27 @ the Lopez Library 7-9 pm: Little Islands & nearshore fishes in the San Juans. SPONSORED BY:
www.sanjuanislandsnca.org
Community Palm Sunday Service
The Annual Community Talent Show to benefit the Lopez Middle School
April 1, 11:00 a.m.
March 30th at 7pm
at Lopez Community Center All are welcome! Let Lopez worship together. Finger food following the service.
VOLUME 35, NUMBER 13 • March 27, 2012
at Lopez Center for Community and the Arts
Also featuring: Cake Auction • Bake Sale • Pizza by the Slice $5 adults • $3 children • $12 familly
requested additional staff- worth of back taxes based on ing to assist with monitoring regular taxes. “By then it had become these tax programs. “Each year, the coun- very clear to me that there cil wanted to know if the were a very significant nummonitoring would generate ber of non-compliant properincome and how much, due ties that included some worst to serious budget shortfalls case scenarios such as forest lands with no created by the trees and farm economic downlands that were turn,” he said. “I completely foralways responded ested,” he said. that a major priThat’s when a ority of this office staff person was is to administer a hired to help fair and equitable monitor and program of taxaadminister these tion.” special assessIn 2010, ment programs. Zalmanek took Charles Zalmanek The audit is time away from other priorities to look for county-wide but is beginning abuse in the programs. By on Lopez and the south end the middle of the year, the of San Juan. Multiple farmers at the assessor’s office had collected more than $300,000 council meeting complained of compensating taxes, inter- about the assessor changing est and penalties that are dis- the rules without prior notifitributed to all taxing districts cation to landowners and not because those out of compli- being willing to work with ance have to pay seven years’ See Farmers, page 8