Grove Notes
Cottage Grove's Reporter
Cottage Grove's Reporter
Contact Us * About Us * Home * Free Grove Notes e-delivery
Town Orders Appraiser To Pay Tax Error
Last Updated: January 29, 2012
The Town Board voted 5-0 in favor of having Accurate Property Tax Appraisal pay a $99.40 personal property tax error for work done on an assessment for Jon and Toni Skala’s home.
Toni was discouraged by the appraisal process explaining that she was unsure how to decipher what should be considered personal and business regarding the appraisal of their home-run business. She said she even asked the appraisal company to come to the home and show her what was what. The confusion being over whether items like furniture, office equipment and even entryway rugs that serve a dual use in an home office should fall under the business or personal side. Board members did what they could to assure the Skalas that those decisions were up to them and what they submit would be okay with the appraisal company.
Much of what culminated at that January 16 Board meeting regarding the Skala’s dilemma reaches back to the Interstate-94 project that reached out to Highway N. Part of the project, which was completed last year, included resituating the eastbound County Highway N off-ramp closer to the Skala’s home at the time so it ended up being only 45 feet from the house. Toni said in a letter to the Town that the WDOT compensated them $1,500 for $35,000 worth of depreciation to their property.
The newly situated highway she said was too much of a distraction, forcing them to move without selling the home and buy property within the Town where they built a new home. Skala went on in the letter to explain that while they used a “minimalist” approach with 75 percent recycled materials going into the construction, the bank is planning for an $875 per month tax escrow in anticipation of a $500,000 property assessment.