These are difficult times, need a tax-break?

By now everybody ought to know that I’m not Earl’s friend, I wonder if he has any (real) friends at all..
One man at least claimed in a conversation to be his friend, Brad Nobel. They both “serve” on the Board of Assessors as the reader may know.

It was last year when Earl tried to pressure Jack Keough into giving me a hard time and to refuse the sought amendment to the building permit for my accessory building that I started back in 1998 and had not finished. For years I was busy fighting for my rights which were denied to me by the Planning Board.

Earl somehow realized that I was not taxed on my finished attic space and swiftly acted as assessor to change that.
I never tried to hide it and my construction plans clearly designate the attic space as living space. After all, I’m not a member of the Board of Assessors and just didn’t know. However, Brad Nobel and Earl Johnson should know, not only about my property, but about their own properties as well.

I checked the Vision Appraisal webpage for Holland on Brad Nobel’s house and was not surprised that he had his lower level with the big windows leading to the deck towards the reservoir listed as unfinished.
At the following meeting with JoAnne Higgins, our assessor’s clerk, and Brad Nobel, I explained that I never intended to misrepresent the living space and said to Brad:
“Brad, I’m sure YOU pay taxes on your finished basement as well, don’t you?”

Bradford Nobel:
“YOU BET!” was his instant response.

I knew better but did not expose him right there.
During my next visit to the town hall, I informed JoAnne Higgins of the fact that he was not truthful, (some people call it lying). After checking Brad’s listing with her computer, she confirmed that he indeed failed to pay taxes and was not telling the truth, (some people would still claim that he was lying).
She promised me to fix it and that she would make the necessary update; and she did.
A few days later Brad’s basement was listed as “living space.”

To my surprise, my taxes jumped from $6798 (FY2009) to $11,532 (FY2010). While I was online to figure out what was going on, I checked Brad’s listing again. His basement was back to “unfinished” space!
This past Monday, after I paid the first half of the $11,532 to the tax collector, I went to see JoAnne Higgins.
We were still discussing the issue (Brian Johnson standing in the doorway eves dropping), when Brad Nobel showed up. The timing was perfect and I asked him what happened. I asked him if he ripped out the drywall and the carpets to save some property taxes. He claimed not to have any time to talk but mumbled somewhat coherent something about “loose blocks” on the floor and that the basement was re-assessed.
After pressing him for specifics, I learned that some of the Linoleum floor tiles were allegedly loose in his finished basement; hence, his finished basement no longer qualifies as a finished basement.

If you have a couple of loose floor tiles, don’t fix them; it will save you a lot in property taxes! You just need to file for an abatement!

Needless to say that I will have to take the town to the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board to get fairly taxed; the town will be represented by a lawyer paid by the taxpayers. Other towns seem to be strapped for cash; not so in Holland, they still seem to have funds in abundance to waste on lawyers, even in these economic hard times..

Ohh, there is another observation I made in connection with Brad Noble’s house on 53 Sandy Beach Road. There is not one tree left on his property that would obstruct the view Brad is “entitled” to, only trunks of the trees are left..

I’m sure Brad likes living on the lake in the midst of trees, as long as they don’t obstruct HIS view..

December 11, 2009, Peter Frei