As supporters of open government, we at OpenCDA are often criticized for not getting our facts straight. We try. But our job is made nearly impossible when the government we investigate fails to supply us with consistent information. Take for example — and an obscure example — the City of Coeur d’Alene’s current property valuation.
The property valuation figure is the total value of all property in the City of Coeur d’Alene. That number is important because it’s used to calculate various government budgets. It plays a key role in the amount of property taxes you pay, and it can be used to determine how much an agency like the Lake City Development Corp. is raising your taxes.
On January 16, I requested the total property value within CDA City, what’s called the net taxable value, from the County Assessor. Here’s their response:
On February 20, I requested the same information from CityHall. Here’s what they provided:
Bill McCrory asked for the same value again, back on February 11. Bill wrote down that value for me. It’s $3,362,227,449 as of 12/31/2007.
A tale of three values:
| Date | Source | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 12/31/2007 | City of CdA | $3,362,227,449 |
| 1/16/2008 | Kootenai County | $3,701,303,746 |
| 2/20/2008 | City of CdA | $3,855,923,285 |
Did the total net taxable value of Coeur d’Alene suddenly jump half a billion dollars in a month? Do these people really know the value? Why such grossly different results?
The burden for supplying these numbers and ensuring that they are accurate comes from the County, specifically the Assessor’s office. The Assessor makes only one valuation each year. It is possible that the differences between the values is because one is from 2007 and the other is from 2008. Does that mean that the City’s value has been increased by almost 14% in one year? Also, and honestly, because it’s the County’s data, shouldn’t at least the first and second values be the same?
The reason I requested these values was to help you calculate how much the LCDC raises your taxes. By giving me screwball values, they make that calculation questionable, which is good for them because then they can discredit me. But I think a more important question is that how can the City accurately calculate a property tax levy with such radically different values?
Dan, what do you think of the idea that readers and contributors of OpenCDA make monthly requests for these numbers? My thinking is that they could be posted for all to see and evaluate. I for one would like the ability to calculate how much my taxes are increased by LCDC. Thanks for your efforts on our behalf as kootenai County taxpayers.
Comment by doubleseetripleeye — March 28, 2008 @ 10:30 am
Good idea. Perhaps we can post a how-to-guide here for requesting public records.
Especially when government is trying to hide something from the taxpayers, you’ll discover that a public records request can be a real eye-opener.
Comment by Dan — March 28, 2008 @ 10:47 am
Perhaps a monthly calculation on an average house assessment of, say, $250,000? We want to know how much urban renewal costs every person in Kootenai County (estimates are 5%) and everyone in the City of CdA (higher–about 10% total). We also want to know how much the proposed $31.1 million dollar school levy will cost each of us and how much we’ll pay if NIC calls for the $2.6 million in foregone taxes so they can buy the Stimson Mill. We need accurate numbers!
Comment by mary — March 28, 2008 @ 11:04 am
I have never made a public records request. How does one go about it? It is time to get these numbers. The school district levy is coming up on May 20th. I wonder why they didn’t wait one week so this election could be held on the same day as the primary?
Comment by doubleseetripleeye — March 28, 2008 @ 11:18 am
I just wrote a document for you, CCIII. You can find it in the upper right part of this page, under Links. Or you can use this link:
Public Records Request
Comment by Dan — March 28, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
Wasn’t there something written in the Press about the assessors data being screwed up because of a computer program? If so, could the data you got reflect those errors?
Comment by Wallypog — March 28, 2008 @ 1:23 pm
That could be it, Wallypog. But supposedly that updated information was sent to the City as the City is aware of the difference. If so, then you would at least expect two of the numbers to match.
I plan on a follow-up request to both the County and City.
Comment by Dan — March 28, 2008 @ 1:30 pm
Dan,
The figure I gave you was the figure on 12/31/2007. It was cited in an email from Tymesen on 02-11-2008. I don’t think this affects the premise of your post, but I wanted to make sure you knew that.
Comment by Bill — March 28, 2008 @ 1:39 pm
Thanks Bill. I have corrected the information in the post to reflect the new dates and what is now an apparent increase in valuations for just a short period of time. Again, whether it was one way or another, it raises important concerns in the arena of government accountability.
Comment by Dan — March 28, 2008 @ 1:45 pm
I have a question on a pubic records request. If a person makes a request for a correction and/or requests a specific policy and the government entity completely ignores you and sends you nothing. Do you file a complaint with the sheriff’s office? Do you wait some more? Do you call the prosecuter’s office? Do you call the AG’s office and/or file a complaint there? What is the next step if they will not comply?
Comment by Stebbijo — March 28, 2008 @ 1:51 pm
I am such a ditz sometimes. (these words may come back to bite me)
I knew this – but I need cofirmation to really ‘get it’!
If a person has been denied at all levels – you have to sue in District Court – the county(or government entity) where the records are located, and then the judge makes the determination. That is the sole remedy – however – the commissioners can request that the prosecuter look into it and then that prosecuter can ask for help from a ‘special prosecuter’ and/or the AG’s office if they deem there is a problem/abuse of release of records via an agency(example: a county clerk refuses to comply). This is most likely where the ‘intentional ignorance’ defense would surface. This is almost the same procedure with abuse of the open meeting law – if you can’t get anyone to comply – you sue the city in district court and the judge decides.
I just got through talking to Kris Bivens – at the AG’s office in Boise. She was very nice.
Comment by Stebbijo — March 28, 2008 @ 2:56 pm
Dan,
As you know, there can be far more serious consequences to inconsistent figures than our having egg on our faces. For example, at the March 19, 2008, meeting of the Lake City Development Corporation (LCDC), auditors Stan Wood and Ben Johnson from Magnuson, McHugh & Co., LLP, beseeched the LCDC and the City to use their collective influence to get Kootenai County to provide accurate tax data. It seems the taxing districts can’t exactly do their budgets and audits without accurate information, and the county’s figures seem to change more often than the accountants can handle. Imagine that.
Comment by Bill — March 28, 2008 @ 5:42 pm