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Property owner challenges $65,000 assessment for 5.08-acre Weed parcel; board hears assessor, owner and neighbor
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Summary
Christine Cole appealed a $65,000 supplemental assessment on 5.08 acres in Hammond Ranch (Weed); the assessor defended the $65,000 valuation using sales comparables, while Cole and a former owner argued poor access, steep slopes and dense timber reduce marketability and requested a $30,000 value.
Christine Cole asked the Siskiyou County Assessment Appeals Board to lower a supplemental assessment on a 5.08-acre vacant parcel off Oak Ridge Drive in the Hammond Ranch area of Weed, saying the county's $65,000 valuation greatly exceeds market reality for the lot.
An assessor's office representative presented a sales-comparison analysis that produced a range of $64,000 to $155,000 for similar land and recommended the assessor's supplemental valuation remain at $65,000, citing the subject's slope, tree density and the comparables provided. The assessor told the board the sales-comparison approach was the most appropriate for this bare land and emphasized the burden of proof discussion.
Cole testified that she purchased the parcel for $24,600 and asked the board to set a value no higher than $30,000, arguing poor access (a narrow corner touching a cul-de-sac), steep grades and very dense timber following the 1939 Deer Creek fire. She said the parcel had little buyer interest when previously listed and provided documents and photos to support her position. "I purchased the property, for $24,600," she told the board, and described site conditions that she said made development costly.
Neighbor and former owner Linda Klokow, who was sworn in as a witness, told the board that property pins and subdivision grading in Hammond Ranch leave the parcel with only a very short legal access point into the cul-de-sac and that she and her late husband had been unable to secure an easement that would make construction practical. "The cul de sac is legal as far as the fire department," Klokow said, but she added that practical access to build a driveway or improve road access would require an easement and significant work.
Board members asked detailed questions about the comparables and map details, including whether a driveway or easement could be established from adjacent properties and how aerials/plat maps show the property line relative to Oak Ridge Drive. The assessor acknowledged difficulty finding truly similar sales activity and said the assessor's comparables included parcels with easier access, wells, septic systems and other features not present at the subject site.
After public testimony, the board indicated it would consult off record before making a decision. The transcript ends with the board moving to consult and does not record a final board action on Appeal 2503 during the provided segments.