Thurston County Assessor's Office

[tree]

NEWS ALERT AND PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
By Cindy Schorno, Broker for Yelm Real Estate

Thurston County is out and about on the land in Southeast Thurston County including the Yelm, Rainier, and Tenino areas.
As many Southeast Thurston County residents have recently heard and experienced, Thurston County Assessors have been updating their records with regard to improvements on land.

This is primarily standard practice. The County assessors are mandated by State law to make a physical assessment of land and the improvements thereon at least once every six years.

This may require assessors to enter property in order to verify their records. This normally pertains to the size and use of any buildings on property.
It has come to our attention that, in some cases, assessors have identified buildings while on the land or from aerial photos- which the State provides on a regular basis.
In many instances this involves unknown or unpermitted buildings, not of record. Many county residents have subsequently received letters from the Thurston County Compliance Office requesting compliance for unpermitted structures.

This is not new to the Southeast Thurston County areas. It?s been going on for years.
Patriots, many of whom are well intended, have convinced many individuals that the County has no right to tax their land or the improvements thereon or to enter upon their land.
We?ve heard these arguments for the last 20 years and there?s more every day. However, to our knowledge, none have been ultimately successful.

Of course this creates chaos in these areas, and gives rise to many questions, such as:
Do they have authority to enter my land? Do they have authority to tax my land? Or the improvements thereon? Do they have the authority to demand that I comply with their permit requirements? What do I do about their demand for compliance with regard to permits? Do I have to comply? What can they do if I ignore their demand? Do they have a right to enforce their demands? How will this affect my use of my property now or in the future? What can I do? How do I find out the answers to these questions?

FIRST ASK YOURSELF- Have I ever lived in a State, County, City or Town in the United States, or any other Country that didn?t impose property taxes on land or the improvements on land? Were not the taxes based on an assessment of the value of the land and the improvements on the land? How were these assessments determined? Is it reasonable and fair to all that these assessed valuations be based on an actual inspection of the property, the improvements thereon, and the use of the property? How else could it be accomplished? What is fair to all concerned? Would it be unreasonable if they assessed without an actual physical inspection?

BOTTOM LINE: WITH REGARD TO PROPERTY TAXES:
In Washington property taxes are levied on January 1 of each calendar year. The annual tax is deferred with regard to payment. The 1st one-half is due by April 30th and the 2nd one-half due by October 31. Interest is imposed if these payments are not timely paid. If taxes are delinquent for three years , the County begins to foreclose its priority lien by way of Judicial foreclosure in the Superior Court, a court of record. Due process affords and provides the opportunity to object and defend, and incidentally, to raise any or all your arguments of choice as above mentioned. If the County prevails, the Court issues a writ of execution on the judgment and the Sheriff is authorized to auction the property in order to collect the delinquent taxes. An owner may prevent the Sheriff?s sale by paying the delinquent taxes plus costs prior to sale.

AND LASTLY, THURSTON COUNTY; ARE THEY ON A WITCH HUNT?
It?s our understanding that every County in Washington is under a State mandate of Compliance. First, to bring all unpermitted structures into compliance and second to get all improvements on every parcel of land on the tax rolls.

Traditionally, the County operated only on a complaint basis. The County set compliance in motion with the adoption of numerous compliance enforcement amendments and additions to the County Code in the late 1990?s.

I have firsthand knowledge from my uncle, Thurston County?s 20 year Sheriff, Gary Edwards, that his primary objective and focus was crime and finding and shutting down methamphetamine production and distribution. Sheriff Edwards was reluctant to devote valuable staff in search of unpermitted structures.

The Planning and Development Department took the initiative staffing its own compliance division sometime after 2000. Initially, this compliance office was quite active and aggressive, but, things seemed to quiet down for awhile.

Of course, development growth increased significantly in Thurston County between 2000 and 2007, being the fastest growing area in the State of Washington. Compliance staff personnel are also building inspectors, and perhaps this explained the slowdown in compliance enforcement.

Conversely, as development slowed down in 2007-08, compliance enforcement seems to have been rekindled. In any event, it now appears to be a priority.
Whatever the reason, or rationale, it?s the Thurston County Commissioners who are ultimately responsible for and are designated protectors of the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Thurston County.

Clearly, unpermitted, uninspected buildings are viewed as potentially dangerous health and safety hazards in the minds of many County officials.

In any event, it appears residents expect considerably more attention from the Thurston County Compliance Office in the future in the Southeast Thurston County areas.
It is our understanding that the County staff is doing their job. Residents can do their part by educating themselves regarding the zoning code for their property, the zoning and building ordinances for Thurston County, and what types of buildings require permits. Realtors, attorneys, architects, and engineers in the community can also assist residents with their particular circumstances.
IS THE COUNTY ON A WITCH HUNT? OR JUST DOING THEIR JOB? YOU DECIDE.

[Whatchamacallit]

I'm sure this will upset the apple cart at RSE. But, for their own SAFETY, it's best that these things get investigated, so no tragedies follow, due to improperly built structures (of any type). I'm personally not happy that things have come to this, but when we overlook the local building codes, we set ourselves up to be at risk for future investigations. It's all very sad, indeed. I'm glad to see that the Thurston County officials are seeing this through (FOR SAFETY'S SAKE), but I also feel bad for them, because boy, are they going to have their hands FULL.

[littlewiseone]

Ok... somebody tell me... is she concluding that the county is just doing it's job...? I first read it quite differently but before I post my reply I want to see if I was being too suspicious.

[David McCarthy]

is she concluding that the county is just doing it's job...?

littlewiseone...
This is what I read into Cindy's letter.
Perhaps Cindy is also fed up with the rampant fear mongering that has infected the real estate Market around Yelm.
Particularly the ?The Days to Come" Underground bunker geo-data evaluations... by Ed Wiltsie ( civil engineer )...!

David.

[littlewiseone]

Thanks David. Then I will give her the benefit of the doubt... that's what the written word can do, I read it with the opposite intent initially.

Cindy struck me as more fanatical than ever at the first LARSE meeting. Then again, this could be one of the remaining strongholds of her critical thinking coming to the forefront. Good for her.

[tree]

Cindy struck me as more fanatical than ever at the first LARSE meeting.

was she somewhere in-between then in her exiting process?

she has been TOTALLY supportive of me since January of this year.(and maybe sooner)

she said, "anything to nail The Walrus."
I said, "the Walrus?"
she said, "yes, that's what we call him in town."

oh.

[littlewiseone]

Ooh, I'm glad to hear this... I've always liked Cindy although I didn't know her well (we dated the same guy though, lol).

Anyone else remember what I do from the first LARSE meeting...? I thought it was Cindy who was quite outspokenly defending rse and professing her conviction (if I remember correctly she stood somewhere behind GS)... I hope I am not crediting her with someone else's fanaticism, if that's the case I apologize profusely.

[Robair]

Hello Guys.
Very sad to hear that Again, and Again.
We have been true all of this with the county,we had 10 acres with many structures on it, it took us close to 3 years and $163,000.00 to get all of the permits
including bringing Puget Power to all of them.
Lucky for us we had great help from a realtor in the area,with out that help I do not think we would have go it done,they work hundreds 0f hour with the county for us,+ a Lawyer working on the legal stuff.
I do not wish that on anyone to go true all of this,even last summer while working on the final phase of our adventure I met someone I knew very well back then,he just had bought a property with lot of ilegal building on it, we talked for few minutes and I advised him that he should get everything permited before doing anything else,he told me not to worry he knew what he was doing.
It is very hard for me to blame them. We of all people should understand them,and see true there ingorance and arogance,if we don't who will.
May God help then as I am pretty sure there God wont.

The potential of that getting pretty ogly is very real,

Oldone

[Another Dimension60]

Undergrounds first gained serious County attention around 15 years ago, give or take, when an underground in the Bald Hills area was broken into by teenagers, who then set it on fire. The Fire Dept. was called. There were propane tanks in the underground which could have potentially caused a great deal of harm to property and persons. Starting then there was high scrutiny by the County, particularly the Bald Hills area, including helicopter observation. How long that County intensity lasted ? I don?t know.
Meanwhile, I have seen notices similar to what Tree posted ? or perhaps it was a newspaper article ? whatever, it was in print re the County doing the re-assessment thing. I think it has more to do with the County making money than anything else. Nevertheless ? since at least ?89 the Ramster promoted attitude was to build without permits. And, there?s also an ?ol time rural aTTAtoood re permits and gov?ment interference. Whatever, the unpermitted is about to be exposed I guess.
How did we ever equate secrecy from our so-called ?Brethren? with ?Spiritual Enlightenment?. What true Sacred Tradition doesn?t recognize that the more you give, the more you get?

[Whatchamacallit]

I read this........"I said, "the Walrus?" "

and I said to self, what is she talking about ?!

I read it again. And again. Slow, I admit.

Ahhh, yes. The name does fit ! Oh, my giggles.

Yup, yup, a walrus !

[Whatchamacallit]

Old, I agree with you that the entire UG situation is very sad, especially since the students made their UG's in good faith because they believed in the orders handed down to them by Ramtha/JZ. The tragic stories that have come from assorted events connected with the UG's is just as sad, if not tragic in some cases. People have lost yet more money for a doom and gloom that isn't going to happen, and they live in fear. Where is JZ's accountability in all of this ?

As for AD's comment: "What true Sacred Tradition doesn?t recognize that the more you give, the more you get?""

Exactly.

They gave their "power away" to Ramtha/JZ in good faith, because they trusted the message when they were told to build UG's for the End of the World (DTC), and they could hunker down and survive it all. They've even had "fire drills", so to speak....ummm....UG drills. One was a month long, and they weren't supposed to come out. I heard all sorts of stories about the fallout from that trial run event.

[tree]

"UG drills. One was a month long, and they weren't supposed to come out."

One was dated 5/5/2000.
That was to be a 4 day total lock down long weekend.
If you did not have your UG completed, you were to head to something over 500" above sea level
and camp there.
Mostly, it was a long drunken wine outting interspersed with a hike.

The other one started near Thanksgiving and to last through December.
I am trying to remember the exact year.
It was left to each student how to enact this lockdown.
We were to use latex gloves and a burn barrel if we were to touch the mail (anthrax scare at the time.)
We were encouraged NOT to socialized or work with ANYONE who lived in a city.
(Tell me HOW a child is supposed to go to school wtih military children under this ruse?!)
If we could,we were to be completely locked down in our own house on our own property at the time with no visitors.
Part of me thought this was so impossible as I had a job in "social consciousness" and my son went to school
in a "social conscious" setting. I was so torn as I so wanted to comply, yet how was I supposed to have made a living
and how was my son to have continued on with going to school?
I had no one on the "outside" to tell me this was absurd. So I went with it the best I could.
IT was a HORRIBLE experience!