Valuations taxing their patience

In the 30 years since Jerry Sterns moved to his Westmond Road property, 49 new homes have popped up along the 3.5 mile stretch of Bonner County road.

The new homeowners are paying top dollar for the rural land, which means the valuation of Sterns’ 10 acres is skyrocketing. And so is his property tax bill, which went up 22 percent, or $400, from last year.

“That’s only one road,” the retired U.S. Forest Service ranger said. “I can’t imagine if you look at the entire county.”

And it’s not just Bonner County. Property owners in Kootenai County are having the same struggle with property taxes increasing in some places more than 50 percent. Many people, especially retirees on fixed incomes, fear they will lose their homes because they can’t pay the tax bill.

Other, well-off residents also are steamed that they have to pay so much to support what they consider bloated local government bureaucracies.

Sterns said the people are fed up and if the Idaho Legislature doesn’t do something to fix the problem, Idaho residents will revolt and find their own solution. That means trying to pass a statewide initiative to cap the assessments of property values.

“We’re just getting started on this,” Sterns said. “We have to work out all the details.”

Bonner and Kootenai counties are among about a dozen Idaho counties seeing rapid appreciation in market values. People paying inflated prices for property in these resort areas are making it difficult for many residents to afford their property taxes. Yet the majority of Idaho’s 44 counties aren’t seeing the same rate of growth and some more rural areas are experiencing decreases in property values.

But that’s not stopping a group of Bonner County residents who want some relief. And they want it now because they know that as national publications such as Forbes, USA Today and Sunset Magazine continue to highlight the area’s lakes, mountains and laid-back atmosphere it will get even more difficult to keep the county affordable for existing residents.

Bob Chenault, a retired motion picture writer, producer and director, moved to Sandpoint from California in 1995. He bought 3.5 acres in a treed area off Gooby Road. It’s far from Lake Pend Oreille and only has a view of trees and mountains. The trees are growing so fast that in the next five years all he expects to see are branches and leaves.

Yet the value of his land just went up $10,000 because of the view off the front porch of his log home.

“It’s an absolute mess in this area,” Chenault said. “Everybody up here is now nervous and frightened they are going to get bumped out of their homes.”

Chenault admits he can afford to pay his ever-increasing tax bill, but explains that he’s a “tightwad” and doesn’t see the need to give his money away.

He has had several meetings at his home with other concerned residents, such as Sterns, and wants to see an initiative that would put a cap on the assessment of property values. Talk of an initiative likely could put the heat on the Legislature to do something.

“These people don’t do anything unless they feel pressure,” Chenault said. “The Legislature needs to feel pressure.”

Some people blame Californians and other wealthy retirees like Chenault for paying inflated prices. Chenault said most people he’s talked to are past that bitterness, knowing you can’t stop people from relocating to North Idaho, and all they want is for elected officials to fix the problem.

“People are scared to death,” he said.