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A. Exhibits 'View Tax' Triggers Revolt in Rural N.R. - NEWS - US NATIONAL - Comcast.net Page 1 of4 ~ g..~ u,..J1 11.I.oS" EXHIBIT a!II-I-Ô¿j .. «.o\Jed L-e", -,>:,.:' Home HOME> NEWS> US NATIONAL NEWS News US National News International News Entertainment News Science News Healtl1 News Technology News Political News Finance News Sports News Strange News USA Today Interact'lves Finance sports Entertainment TV Movies Music Kids Games Relationships Autos Travel Shopping Corneast Latino Mail Find It Online Storage Photo Center Personal Web Pages Downloads Features and Extras Security My Account Help John Chandler stands in his back yard with a view of the White Mountains in a Wednesday, ... 'View Tax' Triggers Revolt in Rural N.H. By KATHARINE WEBSTER, Associated Press Writer 1 HOUR AGO ORFORD, N.H. - The one-room cabin David Bischoff built in a cow pasture three years ago has no electricity, no running water, no phone service and no driveway. What it does have is a wide-open view of nearby hills and distant mountains which makes it seven times more valuable than if it had no view, according to the latest townwide property assessment. He expects his property taxes to shoot up accordingly. Bischoff and other Orford residents bitteriy call that a "view tax," and they are leading a revolt against it that has gained support in many rural towns in New Hampshire. State officials say there is no such thing as a "view tax" _ it is a "view factor," and it has always been a part of property assessments. The only change is that views have become so valuable in some towns that assessors are giving them a separate line on appraisal records. The change has stirred passions in Orford, a town of 1,040 that overlooks the Connecticut River and has views of neighboring Vermont and the White Mountains. Welcome, ( u Bush Nomin¡ Supreme COI Parks Remer Her Courage Truck Driver S.C. Hayride Methodists [ Lesbian Mini Hartford Arc Settles Abus Teen Charge Murder of AI Young Texas Go Back to P Halloween 11 Wilma's NeV\ 'View Tax' TI Revolt in RUI Phila. Starts Transit Strik abc ~ I.' I COL Sr. CB~ http://www.comcast.netlnews/national/index.jsp?cat=DOMESTIC&fn=/2005/1 0/31/2541... 10/31/2005 'View Tax' Triggers Revolt in Rural N.H. - NEWS - US NATIONAL - Comcast.net One big reason the reassessment has aiarmed townspeopie in Orford and beyond is that housing prices _ and consequently property taxes _ are shooting up in New England because of an influx of vacation-home buyers and retirees willing to pay top dollar for beautiful views. The Orford Board of Seiectmen, of which Bischoff is chairman, voted in September to set aside the revaluation by Avitar Associates of New Engiand until the Legislature comes up with objective standards for valuing views. Critics complain, for example, that some town assessors assign fixed dollar values to certain types of views, while others multiply a home's base value by a IIview factor." Avitar president Gary Roberge acknowledged that assessing views is partly subjective and said that is why there is an appeals process. But he said Orford's revaluation was sound overall. "There's been a huge change in property values in this area," he said. At a packed legisiative hearing, Orford timberland owner Tom Thomson warned that unless the state acts, rising property taxes will force family farmers to sell to developers, permanently altering New Hampshire's rural character. "We're going to drive the peopie off the land who have been living on it and working it for generations," Thomson said. "It's going to destroy our No. I industry: tourism." Guy Peteli, director of property appraisals for the state, is sympathetic. But real estate ads and sales prove that properties with views fetch a premium, and it would be unfair to homeowners without views to ignore that, petell said. "A piece of land on a side of a hili that overiooks a SO-mile or 100-mile radius is going to be worth more than the same piece of land overlooking an industrial complex or a landfiil," he said. In Bischoffs case, the view added $140,000 to his property's underiying value of $22,900. As a result, he expects his property taxes to jump from less than $500 iast year to more than $3,000 this year. Page 2 of 4 I ThE CB~ II I ThE AB' Pre Su~ AS( I Fak Giv, AP I Bu. S.. SC( AP Lau The neVI; http://www.comcast.netlnews/national/index.jsp?cat=DOMESTlC&fn=/2005110/31/2541... 10/31/2005 'View Tax' Triggers Revolt in Rural N.H. - NEWS - US NATIONAL - Comcast.net Page 3 of4 Home appraisals, whether in New Hampshire, Texas or California, are supposed to reflect a property's market value. Because the view and other aesthetic considerations affect market value, it is standard practice in the industry to take them into account. Wayne Trout, president of the International Association of Assessing Officials, said it is unusual for assessors to assign a specific dollar value to the view. But he said the methods do not really matter as iong as total assessed vaiue accurately represents market value. Trout, the assessor for Norfolk, Va., said the value of waterfront and water-view homes there is rising rapidly, leading to complaints similar to those in New Hampshire. In Nevada, state law requires assessors to consider views, and Washoe County assessor Bob McGowan said ballooning property values on Lake Tahoe have contributed to protests against his view-ranking system. The state helped ease the pain this year by capping annual property tax increases on primary residences at 3 percent, an approach adopted years ago by voter initiative in Massachusetts and California. New Hampshire Agriculture Commissioner Steve Taylor said the underlying problem is the "perversity" of the state's heavy reliance on property taxes. The state has no general income or sales tax, and the resulting high property taxes are hardest on those who are land-rich but income-poor. Retired engineer John Chandler objected when a revaluation doubled the value of his property in Hill because of its view of the White Mountains in the distance. Chandier noted that he does not own the view and cannot control it, and said it is increasingly obscured by air pollution. Besides, he is iegaily blind. !ll'm not enjoying that view, at least not as much as Avitar thinks I should be," he said. On the Net: Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact Comcast © 2005 Comcast Cable Communications, LLC. All ri~ http://www.comcast.netlnews/nationallindex.jsp?cat=DOMESTIC&fn=/2005/1 0/31 /2541... 10/31/2005 'View Tax' Triggers Revolt in Rural N.H. - NEWS - US NATIONAL - Comcast.net Page 4 of 4 New Hampshire Board of Tax and Land Appeals: http://www.nh.gov/btla/ Avitar Associates of New England: hUp://www.avitarofneinc.com Orford: http://orfortinh.us Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. AIi rights reserved. This materíal may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. http://www.comcast.netlnews/nationallindex.jsp?cat=DOMESTIC&fn=/2005/10/31/2541... 10/31/2005 URGENT ME c..¿ 1111106 IteM ~I\ frCJYY1 C Cl iivl'f \~ e \ Water Wells and the Possible Contamination in Cupertino. The City Council meeting on November 1,2005 at 10350 Torre Ave. will include an appeal set before them by the Cupertino Citizens to reconsider their decision allowing the building project to be conducted at the East end of Greenleaf Drive. The application No.TM-2004-05 and APN326-33-107 by Wayne Aozasa and property owned by the California Water Service Company will be discussed at this time along with other issues proposed by the appeal parties. We ask that you read the information in this message and attend the meeting to help us. Per the City Council's request the SLR International Corporation, with BC Laboratories, Inc conducted a water test from the operating ground water well at the East End of Greenleaf Drive and the results are mid level or below the State and Federal requirements and listed as ND or Non Detect but not Non Present. The City is imposing that these levels are acceptable. The Citizens for appeal have reviewed this material and feel that the City stands in a bias position at this time. They own three wells in Cupertino and are in a bias position and therefore should not be allowed to retain any Company or Corporation to conduct any tests. The appeal parties feel that and investigation should be conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Health or any other parties that are Government Agencies in order to conduct a fair test. The reasons for this request are explained in this message. The City failed to provide information that would have been valuable to the appeal parties and to the Cupertino Citizens regarding the Cities ownership of three pieces of land containing three wells owned by the City. There is at the other end of Greenleaf Drive and Castine a non-operating water well that is owed by the City of Cupertino and on 9/23/05 had been filled with dirt or concrete and listed abandoned by the Santa Clara Water District. What this means is that the well has just been abandoned and that the City of Cupertino has just been in violation of the 90-1 Well Ordinance and have just now fulfilled a requirements to abandon this well. They also are subject to a possible misdemeanor and we are requesting paperwork from the Santa Clara County Valley Water District who regulates these wells. This well is next to two homes and we have discovered that that a neighbor around this well would like to buy this property. This is alarming to us because there could be toxic contamination in the well. No one conducted a test on the water that was remaining and has remained in the well nor did they test the soil to make sure that there was no contamination of any kind. This we feel is not a coincidence and wonder why after all this time that this well is being abandoned. This well has been out of commission since 1968, and also the casing in the well had been damaged as of 1989 by an earthquake. This should be alarming to all because old well can cause a great deal of contamination to our water systems. 'View Tax' Triggers Revolt in Rural N.H. - NEWS - US NATIONAL - Comcast.net Page I of4 ~ g.. ~ !..e..¡ 1 1/. I . oS" EXHIBIT 'a f 11'- I-Q¿j . ¡Zo be d L..e", HOME> NEWS> US NATIONAL NEWS Home News US National News International News Entertainment News Science News Health News Technology News Political News Finance News Sports News Strange News John Chandler stands in his back yard with a view of the White Mountains in a Wednesday, no USA Today Interactives Finance 'View Tax' Triggers Revolt in Rural N.H. Sports Entertainment By KATHARINE WEBSTER, Associated Press Writer TV 1 HOUR AGO ORFORD, N.H. - The one-room cabin David Bischoff built in a cow pasture three years ago has no electricity, no running water, no phone service and no driveway. What it does have is a wide,open view of nearby hilis and distant mountains which makes it seven times more valuable than if it had no view, according to the latest townwide property assessment. He expects his property taxes to shoot up accordingly. Movies Music Kids Games Relationships Autos Travel Shopping Corneast Latino Mail FÎ nd It Online Storage Photo Center Personal Web Pages Downloads Features and Extras Bischoff and other Orford residents bitterly call that a "view tax," and they are leading a revolt against it that has gained support in many rural towns in New Hampshire. State officials say there is no such thing as a "view tax" _ it is a "view factor," and it has always been a part of property assessments. The only change is that views have become so valuable in some towns that assessors are giving them a separate line on appraisal records. Security My Account Help The change has stirred passions in Orford, a town of 1,040 that overlooks the Connecticut River and has views of neighboring Vermont and the White Mountains. Welcome, ( u Bush Nomin¡ Supreme COI Parks Remer Her Courage Truck Driver S.C. Hayride Methodists [ lesbian Mini Hartford Arc Settles Abus Teen Charge Murder of AI Young Texas Go Back to P Halloween 11 Wilma's NeVI 'View Tax' TI Revolt in RUI Phila. Starts Transit Strik . I COL Bre CB~ http://www.comcast.netlnews/nationaIJindex.jsp?cat=DOMESTIC&fu=/2005/10/31/2541... 10/31/2005 'View Tax' Triggers Revolt in Rural N.H. - NEWS - US NATIONAL - Comcast.net One big reason the reassessment has alarmed townspeople in Orford and beyond is that housing prices _ and consequently property taxes _ are shooting up in New England because of an influx of vacation-home buyers and retirees willing to pay top dollar for beautiful views. The Orford Board of Selectmen, of which Bischoff is chairman, voted in September to set aside the revaluation by Avitar Associates of New England until the Legisiature comes up with objective standards for valuing views. Critics complain, for example, that some town assessors assign fixed dollar values to certain types of views, while others multiply a home's base value by a "view factor." Avitar president Gary Roberge acknowiedged that assessing views is partly subjective and said that is why there is an appeals process. But he said Orford's revaluation was sound overail. "There's been a huge change in property values in this area/, he said. At a packed legislative hearing, Orford timberland owner Tom Thomson warned that unless the state acts, rising property taxes will force family farmers to sell to developers, permanently altering New Hampshire's rural character. "We're going to drive the people off the land who have been living on it and working it for generations," Thomson said. "It's going to destroy our No.1 industry: tourism." Guy Petell, director of property appraisais for the state, is sympathetic. But real estate ads and sales prove that properties with views fetch a premium, and it would be unfair to homeowners without views to ignore that, Petell said. "A piece of land on a side of a hili that overlooks a 50-mile or lOO-mile radius is going to be worth more than the same piece of land overlooking an industrial complex or a landfill," he said. In Bischoffs case, the view added $140,000 to his property's underlying value of $22,900. As a result, he expects his property taxes to jump from less than $500 last year to more than $3,000 this year. Page 2 of 4 I The CB~ I ThE ABC I P,. Su, ABC I Fak Givl AP I Bus San scc AP Lau The nev. http://www.comcast.net/news/national/index.jsp?cat=DOMESTIC&fn=/2005/10/31/2541... 10/31/2005 'View Tax' Triggers Revolt in Rural N.H. - NEWS - US NATIONAL - Comcast.net Page 3 of4 Home appraisals, whether in New Hampshire, Texas or California, are supposed to reflect a property's market value. Because the view and other aesthetic considerations affect market value, it is standard practice in the industry to take them into account. Wayne Trout, president of the International Association of Assessing Officials, said it is unusual for assessors to assign a specific dollar value to the view. But he said the methods do not really matter as long as total assessed value accurately represents market value. Trout, the assessor for Norfolk, Va., said the value of waterfront and water-view homes there is rising rapidly, leading to complaints similar to those in New Hampshire. In Nevada, state law requires assessors to consider views, and Washoe County assessor Bob McGowan said ballooning property vaiues on Lake Tahoe have contributed to protests against his view-ranking system. The state helped ease the pain this year by capping annual property tax increases on primary residences at 3 percent, an approach adopted years ago by voter initiative in Massachusetts and California. New Hampshire Agriculture Commissioner Steve Taylor said the underlying problem is the "perversity" of the state's heavy reliance on property taxes. The state has no general income or sales tax, and the resulting high property taxes are hardest on those who are land-rich but income-poor. Retired engineer John Chandler objected when a revaluation doubied the value of his property in Hill because of its view of the White Mountains in the distance. Chandler noted that he does not own the view and cannot control it, and said it is increasingly obscured by air pollution. Besides, he is legally blind. "I'm not enjoying that view, at least not as much as Avitar thinks I shouid be," he said. On the Net: Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact Comcast © 2005 Comcast Cable Communications, LLC. All ri~ http://www.comcast.net/news/national/index.jsp?cat=DOMESTIC&fn=/2005/1 0/31/2541... 10/31/2005 'View Tax' Triggers Revolt in Rural N.R. - NEWS - US NATIONAL - Comcast.net Page 4 of 4 New Hampshire Board of Tax and Land Appeals: http://www.nh.gov/bt1a/ Avitar Associates of New England: http://www.avitarofneinc.com Orford: http://orfordnh.us Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. Aii rights reserved This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. http://www.comcast.netlnews/nationaVindex.jsp?cat=DOMESTIC&fn=/2005/10/31/2541... 10/31/2005 URGENT ME CC:, G "rCo(,.(t'l~ \ H I B I· ~!' ... t1tÎ ín~Co}AMT ssi'ù') \~ Mar C!::'J€v *'ð- A+-~ c,¿ I \ II 105" 'í\e/vl.. ~ I \ -\íCJ'YY1 CCl't~y He\ Water Wells and the Possible Contamination in Cupertino. The City Council meeting on November 1,2005 at 10350 Torre Ave. will include an appeal set before them by the Cupertino Citizens to reconsider their decision allowing the building project to be conducted at the East end of Greenleaf Drive. The application No.TM-2004-05 and APN326-33-107 by Wayne Aozasa and property owned by the California Water Service Company will be discussed at this time along with other issues proposed by the appeal parties. We ask that you read the information in this message and attend the meeting to help us. Per the City Council's request the SLR International Corporation, with BC Laboratories, Inc conducted a water test ftom the operating ground water well at the East End of Greenleaf Drive and the results are rnid level or below the State and Federal requirements and listed as ND or Non Detect but not Non Present. The City is imposing that these levels are acceptable. The Citizens for appeal have reviewed this material and feel that the City stands in a bias position at this time. They own three wells in Cupertino and are in a bias position and therefore should not be allowed to retain any Company or Corporation to conduct any tests. The appeal parties feel that and investigation should be conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Health or any other parties that are Government Agencies in order to conduct a fair test. The reasons for this request are explained in this message. The City failed to provide information that would have been valuable to the appeal parties and to the Cupertino Citizens regarding the Cities ownership of three pieces of land containing three wells owned by the City. There is at the other end of Greenleaf Drive and Castine a non-operating water well that is owed by the City of Cupertino and on 9/23/05 had been filled with dirt or concrete and listed abandoned by the Santa Clara Water District. What this means is that the well has just been abandoned and that the City of Cupertino has just been in violation of the 90-1 Well Ordinance and have just now fulfilled a requirements to abandon this well. They also are subject to a possible misdemeanor and we are requesting paperwork ftom the Santa Clara County Valley Water District who regulates these wells. This well is next to two homes and we have discovered that that a neighbor around this well would like to buy this property. This is alarming to us because there could be toxic contamination in the well. No one conducted a test on the water that was remaining and has remained in the well nor did they test the soil to make sure that there was no contamination of any kind. This we feel is not a coincidence and wonder why after all this time that this well is being abandoned. This well has been out of commission since 1968, and also the casing in the well had been damaged as of 1989 by an earthquake. This should be alarming to all because old well can cause a great deal of contamination to our water systems. building at your own risk or move away. The appeal parties and the Cupertino Citizens can't even imagine how this warning is helping us clean up the City of any toxic substances and want to have the EPA or Department of Health look into this matter. The other issues that we feel are still on the table are the protection of the well next to the possible building project and believe that 5 feet away from the street is not acceptable and pollution of the well could take place. We have requested a 100 ft. protection around this well and this would cancel out the building project all together. The preservation of this property goes even further and we would like to keep it for nature or natural preservation due to Ordinance 710. The threat of Terrorists and the opening of the street on this property is a great concern to us as well. This property will be open to the public and will not have the protection that it has had in the past. The public has not known about this well and that is the way we would like to leave it surrounded by trees. The low or mid point levels of toxic substances that the report listed for metals and chemicals seem to also suggest a possibility of fowl play and we would like to make sure by bringing in the State and Federal Governments to do a complete water test and assessment and test the soil and air as well. We also do feel that the City of Cupertino needs to conducted a water assessment and that they have not done so far and it could be a state requirement. This water assessment is to discover how the wells, recharge ponds, reservoirs, aquifers and other bodies of water and movement will impact the community due to this building project. It is critical that we dis.cover what has taken place here that is causing health problem to the appeal parties and the Cupertino Citizens. The City will probably state that the water samples are in compliance with the State and Federal limits and we say that low level or mid point levels of contamination over a period of years contributes to health problems that are serious and can cause death. We need to start to work for prevention of cancer and other health problems and that means looking at low or mid point limits and their exposure to the public. Lets hope that there will be a full investigation to look into this matter. We hope that there has been no tampering with tests of any kind but again we need to make sure that the State and Federal Governments are looking out for our well being and that they are there for us. Just recently the State Governors office has rejected a piece of legislation that would have allowed for testing oftoxic substances that remain in humans that could be causing cancer. It would have been possible to have volunteers available and monitor them to see the levels and thus help us find how these toxins in our bodies cause health problems and death. You may wish to contact the Governors office to fmd out more about this and to help. If you have suffered any health problems or cancer that has been noted in your family please contact me Cathy Helgerson at 408-253-0490. The Department of Health is checking on the amount of full blow cancer that has been registered in Cupertino and this information will be available to us in 3 weeks. We thank you for your support and hope to see you at the meeting. Call the City prior to the meeting to make sure that the meeting will take place at 408-777-3223.