Citizens, to the Ramparts
Dear Taxpayers:
In this issue, Zinnia and Ann Loikow issue what I think is a clear
and convincing call for a taxpayer's rebellion. There is no need to
accept an excessive and unsupported increase in your property assessment
and in your resulting tax bill. There is no reason to accept the City
Council's recently imposed cap of a twenty-five percent yearly increase
in assessments as a “reasonable” compromise or concession. So don't
accept it. If you think your assessment is too high, take Zinnia's
advice and appeal. Encourage your neighbors to appeal; get your whole
block to appeal. If you're a renter, encourage your house's or
apartment's owner to appeal — their tax increase will eventually show
up in your rent. If you can't get all the information you need together
in time for the short April 1st deadline, appeal anyway, and supplement
your appeal later with any additional information. Request your
assessor's worksheet and comparable sales listings from the Office of
Tax and Revenue; if they don't get them back to you in time for your
April 1st appeal; note that in your appeal in order to justify including
that information later.
Peter Craig, mentioned in Ann Loikow's message, has developed a good
argument that this year's entire assessment process was based on a
“market trends” analysis that has been found to be invalid by both
the DC Board of Real Property Assessments and Appeals and by the courts.
[See the article in today's Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52887-2002Mar19.html.]
Craig is preparing a lawsuit over the process, but in the meantime his
argument can be used in any appeal.
The point is that if only a thousand citizens appeal their property
tax assessments again this year, the city government will conclude that
it has gotten away with an outrageous tax increase, and that it can do
it again next year and the year after. On the other hand, if several
thousand citizens appeal, not only will the system break down under the
volume of complaints, the politicians will also finally get the message
that DC taxpayers don't have an unlimited reservoir of patience with
being gouged. “Taxation without representation” would be an awfully
empty slogan if we protested only unrepresentative federal taxation, but
meekly acquiesced in our own local government's predatory ways. So, mon
amies, storm the Bastille, throw the tea into the harbor, and file that
appeal. It's such a mannerly and easy rebellion that there's no excuse
not to take up arms.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
###############
As a result of writing in themail, I was contacted by WTOP reporter
Amy Morris. She is doing a story about property tax assessments in the
metropolitan area. After the interview was concluded, she told me only
1,000 people appealed their property taxes last year. I was one of them.
I plan to appeal again this year.
Everyone should appeal their assessment. Right now the city just
hears grumbling, a few calls to Councilmen, maybe an angry letter. If
everyone took the effort to go to the library to pick up an appeal form
and request a hearing, the city would get the message. It is interesting
to note that last year the appeal form came with the proposed
assessment. This year I had to go out of my way to pick it up.
The city can do several things to increase revenues without
destroying people's budgets. It can cap effective increases to 5-7
percent a year. It could allow you to deduct your property taxes from
your income when you are computing DC income taxes. It could do both.
Take the time to appeal. Make the city work for the extra money. Send a
strong, loud message that you do not accept such drastic increases in
your property taxes.
###############
Massive Problems with Property Assessment
Process
Ann Loikow, johnl@erols.com
FYI, I sent the following E-mail to the Council regarding problems
with the assessment process: I know many of your constituents are
concerned about assessments. I thought you might find Peter Craig's
analysis (from the Cleveland Park E-group) of the assessment issue in
Cleveland Park of interest. Of critical importance is that the
assessment methodology used this year may be very flawed and does not
really represent market value. I would urge the Council to investigate
the accuracy and equity of assessment process itself, not just spread
out the higher taxes that result from the vastly increased assessments
over time.
You should also be aware that this year the Office of Tax and Revenue
is making it extremely difficult to file an appeal. Unlike previous
years, no appeal form was included with the notice of assessment. You
have to try to call to get one (trying to get through on the phone
number given with the assessment notice is also difficult). This year,
for the first time, the assessed value of the land and the improvements
are not broken out. In addition, you have to file all your evidence of
why the assessment is faulty with the appeal and all this has to be done
by April 1! Also, the assessment books are not available at the public
libraries. You have to go down to 941 North Capitol Street, NE during
business hours to see them and gather information for your appeal.
Supposedly, some information is available online, but in two years I
have never been able to access it. I click on the assessment button and
get sent back to the Office's home page. In addition, when I have had a
librarian try to access it, I could only get information one lot at a
time. In order to get the information needed to do an appeal (i.e., look
at the assessment data for an entire neighborhood and specifically on
the properties sold during the year), one would have to spend an
inordinate amount of time (longer than we have to put together our
appeals).
Bottom line, the process is very, very broken and the citizens of DC
are being taken advantage of. Please help us solve the fundamental
problems: (1) correcting the accuracy of assessments and (2) making the
appeal process actually one citizens can use. Citizens all over the
District urgently need your help (we only have two weeks until April 1).
###############
With regard to property tax assessments, I am curious as to why
public officials, most prominently the Mayor, have over the last couple
of weeks described how they are going to fund new spending without
mentioning the fact that across the board they will increase city
revenues significantly through these assessments. My assessment defies
logic. It doubled in three years. One of the cardinal rules of real
estate is that real property does not depreciate, yet they depreciated
my property while extraordinarily appreciating the improvement (the
structure on the property), even though I have invested very little,
because it was not needed, in improvement. Is this an attempt to pad the
tax rolls, while hoping that the taxpayers remain silent as usual?
###############
View from 2,000 Miles Away
Jean Lawrence, jkellaw@aol.com
I moved to Phoenix almost six years ago and bought a 3-bedroom house.
My mortgage, taxes, and insurance are $734 a month, about what I was
paying for a one-bedroom on Connecticut Avenue. I have been back once
and peeked into the lobby of my old building and the walls had not been
painted or an atom altered in all those years. A friend recently
returned to DC from Fort Lauderdale and said everything looks older and
her old one-bedroom on upper Connecticut now commands $1200 a month. I
couldn't afford DC anymore, even if I wanted to move back. Yet, I miss
my friends (or, as I so snottily say, "I miss smart people.").
We get news of the old homestead, though — Marion Barry running again,
open-arms welcome for that famous rapist Mike Tyson, all the chronic
complaints about services on this list. I guess it's true -- you can't
go home again. And may not even want to.
###############
Oh Deer . . . or, Deer Me!
Stan Wellborn, stanw@aecf.org
Last weekend, my neighbor woke up to look out her window and see six
deer standing in her back yard, munching away on her shrubs and tree
buds. This was not the first time we have seen deer on our Chevy Chase,
DC, block, but this was the first time we had seen a herd. My neighbor's
dog went out on her back porch and barked at the deer, which calmly
jumped back over her fence and stood watching from the alley.
Deer droppings are an increasingly common sight in our neighborhood,
and dead deer that have been hit by vehicles on Military Road,
particularly between 16th and Oregon NW, are also not uncommon. These
large animals, which breed in Rock Creek Park, are becoming fairly bold
in their behavior, and can create health problems from ticks as well as
traffic hazards. And, they decimate flower and vegetable gardens.
Is anyone responsible for dealing with this growing urban nuisance?
I'm not suggesting an eradication program, but is there a city or Park
Service agency that could provide information about keeping them
confined to their natural habitat?
###############
Although the Foundry was a very uncomfortable theater to watch a
movie in, it was the only movie house in the District that regularly
showed open-captioned films. This allowed deaf and other
hearing-impaired people to see relatively first run movies before they
reached video or cable. There is a theater in Springfield Mall that
shows open-captioned films and one in Ballston that shows them
occasionally, but now the District doesn't have any. I hope that a
theater owner reaches into this void and regularly starts showing films
for this audience.
###############
McKinley Tech
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
McKinley High School will reopen in the next year or two as a
technical magnet high school. It remains to be seen just how well this
high school will work, or not work. If the new McKinley is modeled after
the very successful Brooklyn Technical High School in New York, or other
similar magnet schools, it will require students to pass a difficult
entrance exam to gain entry. If, as may well be expected in DC, anybody
can gain entrance, then this school will be just like many other schools
in the District. It will never turn out more than just a few exceptional
graduates.
###############
The Federal Enclave/Interest (National Capital
Service Area)
Mark David Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com
Unless something has changed since 1974, the Botanical Gardens is
entirely on DC owned land (census tract and square 74.1-P239). If DC
hasn't already, maybe it can trade it for something that might lower our
rapidly rising property taxes. The Botanical Gardens is also within the
National Capital Service Area (NCSA). I discovered this trivia in trying
to find out how big the NCSA is: of DC's 63 square miles, how many miles
are (or would be) in the “Home Rule” area and how many are in the
“NCSA/Federal Enclave” area? I found no quick answer (it is amazing
how much effort is involved in finding the answer to some questions). So
I queried members of H-Net Network on History of the District of
Columbia [H-DC@H-NET.MSU.EDU].
Thanks to leads from H-Net members and friends, a very responsive
National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), a DC MLKJr Library visit,
and some luck, I can tell you the answer to this burning question. The
NCSA is 11.55 square miles, or 18.3 percent of DC. This is the likely
area that would remain Washington, DC, the seat of government, if
Congress made the remaining 81.7 percent of DC a state (as described by
Sam Smith in 1970) or if DC, Maryland, and Congress agreed on a merger
of DC and Maryland.
The whole of DC is under the exclusive legislation of Congress, in
all cases whatsoever, but Congress has already identified a subarea in
DC that is of primary federal interest where they could delegate power
for certain purposes related to security and service provision, called
the NCSA. It was created in DC's Home Rule Charter (you can read the
legislation in the DC Code at http://dccode.westgroup.com/home/dccodes/default.wl,
Search for §1-207.39. National Capital Service Area.) The legislation
gave the President authority to map the area and to place it under a
Director, reporting to the President. The Director would be responsible
for “adequate police and fire protection, maintenance of streets and
highways, and sanitation services,” and would have authority to ask
the President to call on the National Guard. President Gerald R. Ford
issued Order 11815 delegating to the National Capital Planning
Commission (NCPC) the function of establishing the metes and bounds of
the NCSA on October 23, 1974. The last map the NCPC found when I checked
yesterday was 1987. Based on the 1987 map, the NCSA is 11.55 square
miles; it comprises less than one-fifth of DC's 63 square miles, or 18.3
percent of the total area. Based on 1974 data supplied by NCPC to the
93rd Congress, the NCSA land area is mostly tax exempt: 97.4 percent
federally owned; 1 percent (27.6 acres) DC owned; 1.3 percent is
taxable. The area was apparently divided into two sectors, military and
nonmilitary. The total area that does not include military bases is
6,752 acres and is 53 percent water and 47 percent land. It had
virtually no civilian population in the 1970 census, but if people live
there now, the law provides that they continue to have voting rights in
DC. The area that includes Fort Lesley McNair, the Washington Navy Yard,
the Anacostia Naval Annex, the United States Naval Station, Bolling Air
Force Base, and the Naval Research Laboratory is 3,198 acres, and has a
significant military population. The NCPC said they are going to
digitize the NCSA map on their Geographic Information System (GIS). I
assume all this information would be updated.
After the 93rd Congress during its 2nd Session delegated its powers
to a DC Home Rule government on Christmas Eve (December 24, 1973), it
published all the legislative records on December 31, 1974 (publishing
records is a habit that is good news). The Honorable Charles C. Diggs,
Jr., was Chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia in the
House — a good friend to DC who had at last taken the place of that
notorious anti-Home Rule southern segregationist. The Chairman requested
comment on the Home Rule bill from federal bodies. J. Carter Brown,
Chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts, said the Commission had no
objections to an NCSA because it was an administrative device that would
not alter the Commission's operation. L. Niederlehner, Acting General
Counsel of the Department of Defense, said DOD had no objection to the
NCSA. Georgetown DC Project on Community Legal Assistance said, “The
central issue is whether the creation of a Federal enclave with a
Federal Administrator can turn a delegation into an abdication so that
Congress cannot exercise 'exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever,
at any time over the remaining District of Columbia that is outside the
Federal scheme.'” (That question was apparently settled...) The U.S.
Department of the Interior (DOI) said they were concerned that the NCSA
included many areas managed by the National Park Service. DOI questioned
how different authorities would relate and said there would be questions
of jurisdiction. The General Services Administration (GSA) said, “The
bill is not clear as to what is to be accomplished by this section and
how it is to be effected.” It worried that a serious jurisdictional
problem would arise, “for example, if this section is interpreted to
place in the Director any authority or control over GSA's guards and
special policemen.” The DC government made four suggestions, one of
which was to remove the District Building and the parking area nearby
from the NCSA!
###############
The Colbert King article about being safer in Afghanstan then in DC
is a outrage. First of all, I contend that the great majority of
citizens who are injured or killed are done in by some one of their peer
group. This includes family murders, gambling related murder, romantic
trio murders, and drug murders. It is clear to me that most citizens
don't have most of these groups as peers (watch out for those family
members!) and have very little to fear in that respect. Now it is true
that sometimes innocent persons are hurt or even killed by accident, and
the full weight of the law should be imposed on the guilty party(s) but
this is not the majority of our killing statistics. In fact the average
citizen has a better chance of dying in a auto accident than being shot
by someone (other than a relative!)
I have lived in lots of neighborhoods where the crime rate is
allegedly high, but this term “high crime rate” includes everything
from first degree homicide to stolen lawn ornaments to victimless
commercial sex. Most of what this “crime rate” reflects is poverty
and oppression and is not a threat to most citizens' life and limb. Now
— for those folks that are involved in violence generating activities
— gambling and drugs and love triangles — there is most definitely a
threat to life and limb, but mostly to those involved. Haven't you
noticed that there is hardly any outcry from the remaining family
members? Why? Could it be that they realize that these relatives are
involved in this dangerous kind of thing and it is the cost of this kind
of action?
I say let's get real and remove the real source of most of the
violence, drug prohibition. To start with, put as much money and effort
into education and job training and employment as is put into the drug
war, and most of the problem disappears. The other part of the problem
is people like Colbert King who misrepresent the truth about our
people/city and its condition and why it is in this condition. To
Colbert King I say “stop hating on my city.”
###############
Good News in NW
Dawn Dickerson, Ddd668@aol.com
You are absolutely right that it's time to start sharing some good
news. As a matter of fact, I am tardy with a thank you letter to the DC
Water and Sewer Authority for their quick response to my request to have
my water meter pushed in the ground. I purchased my home on Q street,
NW, eight years ago and tried incessantly to get the Water and Sewer
Department to explain to me why I had a water meter that sat almost a
foot above ground. Not only was that a safety hazard, it was unsightly
as well. Well, on the 8th of March I went to the Department's web site
and sent an E-mail requesting that my meter be serviced, and by the 12th
of March two workers from the Department were on the front of my lawn
putting that meter in the ground. It was amazing!
The city is making improvements, and we're not acknowledging what is
working well. I find myself quick to lodge complaints and not as
diligent with saying thank you when something goes right!
###############
Good Things in the Neighborhood
Wendy Stengel, wendywoowho@yahoo.com
This has nothing to do with the political nature of our town, but I
thought I'd share, anyway. I'm the proud new owner of a pup, and walking
around my Glover Park neighborhood with him, I've met so many more of my
neighbors . . . the majority incredibly friendly and nice. It's just
nice to remember that the people you pass on a walk from point A to
point B have wonderful little stories to share, and smiles to project.
###############
High Quality Public Education
Andrea Carlson, BintaGay@aol.com
You asked for good news. In the face of headlines about $80 million
deficits and spending freezes, I thought it was worth passing along one
example of some positive news about public education in DC. Capital City
Public Charter School is a school that works. Located in Columbia
Heights, Capital City draws 157 children from across the city,
representing a range of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. This model
program has been awarded a US Department of Education grant for its
innovative approach to comprehensive school reform. Academic performance
shows significant improvement according to standardized tests,
portfolios, and other assessments. The school gets high marks for
management and operations. Capital City offers a clean, safe, and
supportive learning environment and a hands-on, project-based approach
to education that children find engaging and rewarding. The principal
and teachers are energetic, highly trained and skilled, creative and
caring. Parent involvement is central. I have two children who attend
the school and can't rave about it enough. Let me know if you're
interested in getting more information. The school would like to build
its volunteer base and develop additional links with businesses,
foundations, and other organizations.
###############
You have asked for good news on the public safety front. I hope you
saw today's [Monday's] Washington Post Metro section, where it is
reported that the old 10th Precinct Police Station will be used to
headquarter all the 4th District PSAs in Ward One (410, 411, 412, 413
and 414) [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42217-2002Mar17.html].
This will bring about 90 officers to 750 Park Road from the 6000 block
of Georgia on permanent assignment. This project (on which I have been
working for a year) is now in the renovation, Parks and Rec having been
moved out. We should have it fully operational in the summer. That's
good news, right?
###############
Quarters for DC and U.S. Territories, Too!
Mark Richards, mark@bisconti.com
Here's more good news. Adding quarters for DC and the U.S.
Territories will profit the federal government! Can anyone update us on
the status of the effort to extend the state quarter program to DC and
the Territories? Without including DC and the Territories, the state
quarter program is expected to bring in between $5 to $10 billion to the
U.S. Treasury over ten years. My father explained how this works to me.
It costs 4 cents to make a quarter, and the Federal Reserve sells them
to banks for 25 cents. For each one that is "collected" and
taken out of circulation, the government makes a 21-cent profit. For a
2000 hearing on this topic by the Subcommittee on Domestic and
International Monetary Policy, Committee on Banking and Financial
Services, see http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/bank/hba66816.000/hba66816_0.HTM.
I'm wondering if the DC government shouldn't consider issuing its own
“special DC” coin to sell to tourists and collectors.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Building Museum Program on DC Public Library
Patricia Pasqual, changedc@yahoo.com
As part of its DC builds series, the National Building Museum is
sponsoring a program with the District of Columbia Public Library at the
National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, on Tuesday, March 26, from
6:30-8:00 p.m. DCPL is planning either to renovate the Martin Luther
King, Jr., Memorial Library or to rebuild it on a new site. It is also
embarking on an ambitious plan to renovate its branches. The program
will feature presentations by the Library's building consultant and the
Office of Planning. Part of the presentation will include slides showing
several new central libraries in other urban areas. Registration is
required. $10 Museum and DCPL members; $15 nonmembers. http://www.nbm.org.
###############
Washingtoniana Division/MLK Slide Lectures
Jerry A. McCoy, sshistory@yahoo.com
The following illustrated slide lectures will be held in the program
room of the Washingtoniana Division, Room #307, Martin Luther King Jr.
Memorial Library. All lectures are scheduled from noon-1:00 p.m. We hope
to see you there! Monday, March 25: “A Treasure Found: The
Rediscovered Novels of E.D.E.N. Southworth,” Marilyn L. Barth,
19th-century publishing history researcher and Program Coordinator of
the Rare Books and Special Collections at The Catholic University of
America, will present a lecture on the life and works of Georgetown
authoress E.D.E.N. Southworth. Monday, April 22: “More DC in 3-D: Past
and Present,” James Roy will present historic stereo card photos of
Washington personalities and places. 3-D glasses will be provided.
Monday, May 20, “Vintage DC Postcards: Then and Now,” Jerry A.
McCoy, Washingtoniana Division and Peabody Room librarian, in honor of
National Postcard Week (May 5-11), will present a selection of vintage
Washington, DC, postcards depicting establishments located in the MLK
Library neighborhood with views of what occupies the sites today.
###############
Artists/Crafters Sought for Glover Park Day
Judie Guy, gpgazed@aol.com
If you're an accomplished artist/crafter looking for a great market
for your work, complete an application now to participate in the 13th
Annual Glover Park Day, which will be held Saturday, June 1, on the
grounds of Guy Mason Recreation Center at Calvert Street and Wisconsin
Avenue, NW. We get a great turnout every year from all across the city.
We usually have 20 to 30 artists/crafters, including many who come back
year after year, but we can accommodate more. It's a great day with
three or four diverse bands, prize drawings, food from award winning
neighborhood restaurants, and activities for the kids, as well as
arts/crafts exhibits/sales. Space (about 10' x 10') is just $35. Contact
Judie Guy at gpgazed@aol.com for an
application or more information.
###############
Help Stoddert School and Rec Center
Cathy Fiorillo, cathyf@wt.net
Want to generate business and help the DCPS and a recreation center
at the same time? Stoddert Elementary School and the Friends of Glover
Park have teamed up to provide as many opportunities as possible for our
children and the community. On April 27, the school and Friends of
Glover Park are holding the Big Chili Auction at Fannie Mae from 7-10
p.m. Would you like to attend? Would you like to advertise in the Big
Chili catalog which will reach at least 250 families from the DC area?
Send an E-mail to cathf@wt.net. She'll
follow up with how you can advertise and/or get you on the invitation
list.
###############
The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) will
conduct two community meetings to discuss proposed changes in the rate
structure, a new metering fee and a District right-of-way occupancy fee.
The proposed changes and rulemaking are posted on WASA’s web site (http://www.dcwasa.com)
and published in the March 8 edition of the DC Register. WASA’s
management will also bring citizens up-to-date on the Capital
Improvement Program, Drinking Water Quality, Customer Service
Improvements and the new Automatic Meter Reading and Replacement
Program.
WASA’s Board of Directors and management welcome your comments and
encourage you to attend one of these meetings: Wednesday, March 27, at
the Charles Sumner School, 17th and M Streets, NW, 6:30-8:30 p.m., and
Thursday, March 28, at Hadley Memorial Hospital, 4601 Martin Luther
King, Jr. Ave., SW, First Floor Community Room (Cafeteria), 6:30-8:30
p.m. The WASA Board of Directors will also conduct a formal Public
Hearing on these proposed changes next month, on Thursday, April 25,
6:30 p.m., at the Washington Convention Center, 900 9th Street, NW, Room
29. For more information, please call our Public Affairs Office at
787-2200 or visit our web site at http://www.dcwasa.com.
###############
Over the next 6 months, almost every FCC rule protecting the public
from further media consolidation is up for review. The FCC is losing
courts cases that it may not bother to appeal. Tauzin-Dingel passed the
House. Cable companies providing broadband Internet no longer have to
open their monopoly-owned networks. The future of the media in this
country is teetering on the verge of complete control by a few powerful
multinational corporations. This represents a very ugly combination of
trends.
In conjunction with Alliance for Community Media's Media Democracy
Week grassroots groups have planned a teach-in to bring about broader
awareness of the corporate control of media and how to build a grass
roots media that will serve local communities and the public interest.
The teach-in will be held on Saturday, March 23 at 12:00 p.m. at the Kay
Spiritual Life Center, American University, DC. For more info, see http://www.americanresurrection.com/TeachIn.htm.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — HELP WANTED
Half-Time Membership Database Coordinator
Shari Miles, smiles@spssi.org
Membership database coordinator for small nonprofit office at the
Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. Requires excellent
communication and computer skills; knowledge of FileMaker Pro. Able to
work independently and prioritize tasks. Must be reliable and
well-organized. Immediate opening, permanent position, 20 hrs/week,
salary $13,000 - 17,000 plus benefits. Submit resume ASAP to: SPSSI,
Fax: 223-5555; E-mail: spssi@spssi.org.
Web: http://www.spssi.org. No phone
calls.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE
AOL E-Mail Pager for Sale, Make Offer
Randy Hatcher, ccadadc@aol.com
AOL E-mail pager for sale, almost new and connected. Pickup your AOL
E-mail messages anywhere in the world. E-mail offer to ccadadc@aol.com.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
Discussion Group Hints
Vivian Henderson, VHende1886@aol.com
In view of the 9/11 disaster, my husband and I are forming a
discussion group of people from different countries, to gather and
discuss their perspective of the U.S. We are African Americans; so far
we have approached people from Africa, Iran, and the West Indies, and
will reach out to others. The purpose is to get to know each other
better and try to understand our differences or imaginary differences.
These will be monthly casual meetings with snacks, and thick skins are
required. Although I think of DC as an international city, many people
have no personal contact with people from other countries. Has anyone
out there who has formed such a group give us some helpful tips? If so,
we welcome all positive suggestions.
###############
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