Worthing Commissioners heard just one appeal at their Board of Equalization Hearing on Monday night. That appeal came from Eric Saugstad, who stepped down from his duties as Mayor to present his appeal.
Saugstad said that the tax records listed his home as having a compete lower level finish and three bedrooms and two baths. Although he took out a building permit to complete the lower level, he only finished one small bedroom; the rest of the lower level is unfinished. His house is actually a three bedroom, one bath home. He listed several comparable properties. After consideration, the commission’s consensus was to allow the appeal because the basement is not finished as listed in the tax record. They approved a valuation of $135,795, a reduction from $153,108.
The first order of business at the regular meeting on Monday night was open public speaking. Worthing resident Dwight Johnson spoke to the commission about the ordinance that prohibits sump pumps from being pumped into the sewer. He explained the difficulties he has had keeping the 4-inch sewer line open that runs 300 feet from his house. When having it cleared, he was told that there needed to be water running through it to keep it open, so that was why he was running his sump through the system. He asked if he could get a variance to continue the practice until the sewer line was fixed.
The commission conceded that there were some issues with that line.
“We’ll talk to our engineers and figure that out,” Mayor Saugstad said. “In the meantime, leave it the way it is.”
The commission then moved on to regular business. Under the financial reports, Finance Officer Linda Hunnel said, “the bank cash report is not in balance [with a difference of $2,147.11], but the accountants are working on it; they believe they have found the problem.”
Commissioner Sheri Lund asked that the reports include the fund names instead of just numbers.
The minutes of the last meeting were approved with the addition of the residents names that had come before the commission.
Hunnel reported that Eileen Williams was to begin working on the annual report on Tuesday. She did the annual report for the City last year.
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