Retired attorney appeals Bronze Bay assessments

SPIRIT LAKE – The road is windy and the commute into town takes longer.

There’s no public water system, natural gas, cable TV or high-speed Internet.

The lots are smaller and septic restrictions on those small lots prohibit homeowners from building bigger homes.

Those are a few factors Sid Wurzburg doesn’t believe county appraisers took into consideration when they assessed his neighbors’ properties at Spirit Lake’s Bronze Bay at the same rate – or higher – than waterfront property closer to town with larger lots, larger homes and more amenities.

“I’m not appealing for me,” said the retired lawyer who is appealing assessments on behalf of eight of his neighbors. “It’s about what’s right and what’s wrong.”

Kootenai County Assessor Mike McDowell said about 170 appeals are being heard by the Board of County Commissioners this year – a drop from last year when more than a thousand appeals were filed.

The concerns raised by Bronze Bay property owners are not widespread throughout the county, McDowell said. He said he personally went out to Bronze Bay with one of his lead appraisers and believes the assessments are fair – and consistent with the rest of the lake.

While there are some restrictions on the property, McDowell said “the fact remains there are nice homes there. There are beautifully level lots that slope gently to the water’s edge.”

“There is no evidence that it has current impact on their use or their value,” McDowell said.

This is the second time Wurzburg has filed appeals on behalf of his neighbors. He also appealed the assessment of his own property in 2005.

Commissioners rejected the appeal, but Wurzburg took the appeal before the State Board of Tax Appeals and a settlement was reached. The assessments of all of the properties were reduced as a result.

McDowell said there was a problem with the assessments at that time: The county had two appraisers assessing property on Spirit Lake and there were inconsistencies.

Now, a single appraiser handles all Spirit Lake waterfront.

“The work I’ve seen is quite consistent,” McDowell said.

Still, Wurzburg believes the assessments are inconsistent.

He doesn’t debate the value of the properties – but contends the way those values are assigned is not consistent. Wurzburg said that’s grounds for an appeal.

If the commissioners rule in favor of Wurzburg’s appeal, he said it will only be a difference of a couple hundred dollars on his neighbors’ tax bills.

He’s not getting paid for his work – he isn’t licensed to practice law in Idaho. Wurzburg said he’s filing the appeal on principle.

The Bronze Bay appeal goes before the commissioners on Tuesday.