I have received a new tax assessment on my home which is a manufactured house that in the year 2000 cost $84,000. It is located on a 2 1/2 acre lot, of which two-tenths of an acre is taken by a graveled road which has to be maintained by the homeowners. The lost cost $35,000 and is timbered by diseased and rotten red alders and hemlocks. Most of the land is useless, but is apparently that size because of zoning regulations. The tax assessor has notified me that the market value of my property is $260,374. Therefore, he is taxing me for that amount!

In 2005, the assessor wanted to assess the property at $162,345 but the Island County Board of Appeals lowered it to $115,418. But later boards have allowed the amount to be increased until the amount was $191,362 of which the board approved $155,862.

I mistakenly appealed that amount to the Washington Board of Tax Appeals and was interviewed by one individual from the board. Her report to the board contained five false statements and several misunderstandings, but the board refused to consider my corrections, and increased the amount to $170,862 which was $15,000 more than the Island County Board of Appeals had approved.

The present assessment of $260,374 is an increase of $109,956, or a 90.9 percent increase, in four years. That seems incredibly outrageous to me. The assessor has offered numerous properties for me to make comparisons with, but he has not presented a single one that actually compares. There are two manufactured homes on this block, but for some reason they have not been referred to.

John Wilkins

Oak Harbor