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<br /> Introduction < < ~ - Via, _ [ 't[ ~ w
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<br /> I'm Chuck Moss, and am here to put forward some thoughts bout
<br /> where we should be going on Ag Real Estate Taxing, and some ~ -tt ~G,~
<br /> dissatisfaction with the recent change in methodology on assessing the value ~ ~
<br /> of homesites on farms. - G c rl ~t, ~ ,`j ti. ..y -
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<br /> Just two days ago I had my appeal on the homesite valuation on my property
<br /> denied by the County Real Property Tax Board of Review. The meeting
<br /> started out by stating that the board was not there to consider the legality of
<br /> "Rule 7" or the philosphy behind the new method. The appelants were also
<br /> handed a two page rationale provided by the assesors. Included in this was
<br /> the statement that "The Hawaii County Council is aware of the homesite
<br /> assessment procedure, and has NOT taken action to change that assessment
<br /> procedure. The County Council did however, approve Ordinance 04 67, Bill
<br /> 26a effective on June 14~', 2004, in a response to the homesite valuation." I
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<br /> read this as imp~ymg that the county council, through inaction in NOT
<br /> changing the procedure adds validity to the procedure.
<br /> Not only was the appeal board not willing to address the appropriateness of
<br /> f~"""`~ assessing a homesite on a basis in violation of the local zoning, it did not
<br /> Mus consider the agricultural use of the homesite for subsistence. Nor was the
<br /> ~w~( fact that one of the buildings in the homesite is a hoshidana used to dry
<br /> coffee produced on the property after it is pulped in the same building. As a
<br />
<br /> i~,~if matter of background, the property in question has been assessed as
<br /> agricultural since at least 1944 according to the available record/worksheets
<br /> in the notebooks at the tax office.` While my parents owned it the property
<br /> was dedicated as Ag for 28 years. Since then it has been in the Ag use
<br /> program. The property is being used to grow coffee & cattle for sale, as well
<br /> as a good deal of tropical fruits & vegetables for our own consumption.
<br /> I counted 64 fruit trees, or vegetable patches within the .9 acre homesite.
<br /> These include avocado, mango, lichee, orange, tangerine, sapote, banana,
<br /> ulu, Surinam cheery, fig, loquat, papya, taro, asparagus, lemon, lime, etc.
<br /> There are some 27 different varieties of producing edible plant in those .9
<br /> acres. My wife & I eat a lot of what gets produced, excess, especially
<br /> avocados and mangos go over the pasture walls to supplement the cattle
<br /> pasture.
<br /> And, the forty or so chickens that graze the yard provide us all the eggs we
<br /> need, over a dozen a day during the spring & into the summer, about half I 3~
<br /> l Comm. No.
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