Explanation
This story, is a follow-up to another which introduced Mrs. Benintendi and her quarrel with the way property taxes are assessed in Bannock County, Idaho.

Homeowner gets 10% off, but little else from commissioners

By Arik Hesseldahl
Of The Journal

Though she got a 10 percent reduction in her property tax assessments, Wilma Benintendi did not get what she really wanted from the Bannock County Board of Equalization.

What she really wanted from the three Bannock County Commissioners who make up the equalization board, is acknowledgement that the way Idaho counties determine property value assessing taxes is flawed.

Benintendi, who lives at 415 South Sixth Ave. and owns the house next door at 423 S. Sixth, has seen her property tax assessments on the two houses double since 1992. She has said she doesn't mind paying taxes, but she does object to paying taxes on based on market values that are artificially inflated.

For her 1996 property value assessment, Bannock County initially valued Benintendi's home at $76,180, and the second house at $86,935. For her, that meant an estimated increase in her property tax bill of $1,300 in one year.

After working with a county appraiser, she managed to get her assessments down to $68,551 on her home and $78,649 on the second house.

But to Benintendi, that was only a partial victory. She decided to go forward with her appeal to the board to attack what she views as the real problem ‹ the fact value of a home is determined largely by the sales of homes close to it, and not on the physical condition of the home or the other factors that might affect the actual sale price of a home.

In her testimony to the board, Benintendi, a retired Idaho State University professor of education, presented photographs of neighboring businesses, including a record store and tattoo shop. She presented police reports on criminal activity in the area around her home, including various drug busts and domestic disturbances. She recounted several calls to police reporting transients sleeping and urinating in a small protected area in an alley that borders her property. The commissioners listened intently, but had little to say on her arguments.

"They basically ignored the evidence I have gave them. It appears the physical environment has no bearing on the county's property value assessments. But I doubt that will be the case when I try to sell these houses," she said.

Benintendi said she has spoken with three local real estate agencies, asking them if the physical condition of the surrounding area affects the purchase price of a home. She said they told them that condition is an important factor in determining a sale price, and should also be more closely tired to assessments.

Commission Chairman Tom Katsilometes expressed concern over homeowners who live on fixed incomes and experience increases in their valuations based on a strong sales market near their home.

"The people on fixed incomes are the ones who are impacted by this, and I think a little bit unfairly. ... The legislature ought to address people on fixed incomes beyond the circuit breaker law," Katsilometes said.

Undaunted, Benintendi says she will continue her battle. She said she had called for a county health inspector to come take at look at the area in the alleyway she said is frequented by transients who urinate and leave empty bottles in their wake.

"If they don't respect the condition of this neighborhood, then I'm going to draw on public services to try and make it a safe environment," she said.