Are Local Governments immune to the Tea Party?
For purposes of anonymity, a client of mine, let’s call him John, was surprised by his tax assessment of over $400,000. He contacted me and asked for an evaluation of his property. I had the misfortune of telling him that his probable selling price was closer to the upper $200’s or very low $300’s. John does not intend to move, but he did want the city of Oconomowoc to properly assess his property. He gathered all the facts, looked at past sales and paid for an independent appraisal. The facts indicate that John’s property was really worth about $300,000. The past sales for identical properties indicated that this was the market value for his home. Feeling confident, John took his case to the city only to be denied! What was the reasoning you might ask? There was none. Denied!! The assessor had never been through his property nor had he evaluated any of the comparable sales. He was basing his decision only on the computer model that generates a tax assessment. To be fair to the assessor, it would be almost impossible, with our current system, for his office to personally walk through all the homes under his authority. Having said that to simply refuse to look at the applicable data that contradicts his computer model will raise objections from a reasonable citizenry. The problem in Washington and the rise of the tea party is due in part to the refusal to listen to the electorate. The mayor and alderman of local municipalities would be wise to watch what is happening nationally. It could happen locally, too. Listen to what John had to say about the city: “Having been a political conservative all of my life, I’m finding the Tea Party rallying point of high taxing out-of-control government as too tame. Let’s hope for some dramatic election results”. The national, state and local governments need to pay attention to the winds of change. They are blowing and soon they may be howling.
Posted by: 
Glenn Hanon
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