Sun City tax revolt will go to state level

Jeff Schweers

Thursday, Feb. 29, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Leaders of the Sun City tax revolt vow to take their protest of increased property appraisals to the state Board of Equalization, but expect the same treatment they got at the county level.

"We're getting ready for a lawsuit ... we're not going to stop until we win this thing, because we're right," said Leonard Gross, a homeowner and leader of the tax protest. "We have been overtaxed. That's it in a nutshell."

The Clark County Board of Equalization wrapped up a month of hearings Wednesday on 541 Sun City appeals, fulfilling its state mandate to hear all appeals by Feb. 28.

"We had five, six hours to spare," said James Slark, deputy director of the assessor's office.

Sun City homeowners protesting an average 22 percent increase in their taxable property value represented about half of all the appeals filed.

Of the 579 Sun City appeals, 38 were withdrawn and 35 were upheld, reducing property assessments on 106 homes because of commercial activity on Lake Mead Boulevard, Rampart Boulevard, Cheyenne Avenue and the beltway alignment.

All other cases were rejected, along with 16 class actions.

Gross said he had expected no relief from the county board, which is appointed by the County Commission at the recommendation of Assessor Mark Schofield.

Gross criticized the board's inconsistency, and plans to ask state lawmakers to make the assessment process more equitable.