Boat taxes - Sac County could not answer me...

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DLL

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We temporarily had our boat in Alameda, listed for sale. It did not sell. We brought it home earlier this year.

I called Sacramento County several months ago to see if I owe "Unsecured Property Tax" to Sacramento county or Alameda county. I could not get an answer from Sac County.

Technically, it was in Alameda temporarily. No recreational use while it was there.

BUT ... on Jan 1, 2010 it was not located in Sac County. I have my Sac County Tax Bill here and I am willing to pay it, but don't want to pay two counties.

Anyone have experience with this type of problem? I have to pay one of the two counties NLT August 31st. Any suggestions (that won't land me in debtors prison) would be appreciated. I know both counties would want the revenue.

I did NOT keep a slip up here while the boat was in Alameda. BUT we have had the boat in Sac county since 2002.
 
Did Alameda Co. send you a bill too???

If so, pay the Sac one with an explanation letter to Alameda that you were still considering Sac your home port since you were still paying for it and enclose a copy of Sac's bill, a copy of your cancelled check amd the proof of payment for your Sac location. I'd send a copy of the listing contract as well.

Alameda will more than likely waive their bill without a fight, since you are only required to pay ONE tax bill per year.

Edit... I just saw your last sentence about not maintaining your Sac slip.

Pretty much changes everything.

Did Alameda Co bill you?

If so, you could have a hornets nest on your hands...

The bottom line is that Alameda CAN prove that your boat was in their waters on the 1st and Sac can't.

Good luck!
 
I know what you mean. I called Alameda County ONCE. Got the runaround from a clerk and never could get a straight answer.

I will pay whichever one I should pay. But don't plan on paying both of them.

Alameda has NOT billed me. Sac did. VERY FRUSTRATING that an honest taxpayer can't seem to get a correct answer.

I am hoping one of the group here has been through something like this.
 
Oh trust me, I have! [:-banghead]

Years ago, I used to live in Alameda Co but kept my trailerboat in San Joaquin Co.

Every year I would get two bills! I would pay one (SJ because they were less)and then send a copy of my paid bill to the other.

Then I moved the boat to CoCo Co. The bill in Alameda Co was less, so I started paying them.

CoCo Co got pissed and told me that since the boat was actually in their waters, I had to pay them.

Now all of my boats are in CoCo Co and I also live here.

They got me beat!!! [:-fight] [:-ouch]

[:-captain]
 
I am going to call Sac County again today and speak to some supervisors ... try to find SOMEONE who really knows the correct answer. IF I can get a correct answer, I will post it here.

Sorry to hear about your problems with SJ and CoCo Counties. Things will get worse before they get better.
 
I'm sure you already know, but for the sake of others, get the names and extension #'s of everyone that you talk to and if they waive anything or do anything out of the ordinary, have them give it to you in writing.

One of my past fiasco's came to a good conclusion (but not after a lot of effort on my part) because I had it in writing.

Sometimes, it seems that the gubmit can do no wrong... (in their minds) [:-boggled]

Good luck!
 
Jason, at Sac County Assessors office, 9:09am today, said the key to the situation is called
"Habitual Location". Of course Jason said to pay Sac County and because I have domiciled the boat in this county for the last 8 years, where it was on Jan 1st is not critical.
Hmmmmm. Reminds me of the old Air Force saying, "You lie and I will swear to it." :)

Just kidding, he seemed to know what he was talking about. Anyway, he asked if I had been billed by the other county and I said no. He said to keep a copy of all the paperwork and if they ever try to bill me, show them I paid the bill with Sac County. I can't be billed by both counties or something like that...it says here on page 4....

So I will pay Sac County, keep a copy of everything and pray all goes well. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
 
Sounds like good news.

Makes sense too, because I know for a fact that you cannot be forced to pay county prop taxes for two different counties for the same year.

The sticky part is determining which county gets to collect...

I would feel comfortable paying Sac and not Alameda, since they did not send you a bill.

And as with my first post, just keep all records of your payment to Sac in case Alameda decides to send you a bill at a later date.

Sounds like you dodged a bullet!!! [:-bonc01]
 
I hear you. I hope I dodged a bullet, but with the govt hurting like they are, I can see both of them yelling at each other, then me. I am paying Sacramento today.
 
In 2004 I asked CoCo county to reassess the tax value of my boat, I traded a few spreadsheets with the young assessor they assigned and he eventually cut my boat's tax valuation in half. If you tried to sell your boat and it did not sell you may be in a good position to give them some comparables and the NADAguides valuation for your boat. I see Sacto county now charges a $30 fee. It took me a little time and there was a 1 year lag for the new value to kick in but it saved me a couple hundred over the years. http://www.sccob.saccounty.net/pages/assess.html
 
As I recall the boat you were trying to sell was a Tolly 44, I just looked at NADA guides and a 1991 Tolly 44 has a low retail of $77K; the personal property tax is 1% plus misc bond assessments. If your 2010 tax bill is much more than $800 you should be able to get that down for 2011 and successive years. In a Google search a 1991 Tolly sold in MA but it doesn't say what it sold for that would take a little leg work on the phone. You just need to put together a compelling story and make it easy for the assessor. When I did my reassessment I was just trying to get the valuation down from $9K, since it was a homemade boat their assesor handbook for calculation of ad voloreum tax tells them to put in my labor at a rate for building the boat, I didn't fight it just worked with them and got it down to $5K and a 7 year I think deprecation schedule.
 
Excellent idea. I did ask them how the assessed value on the boats and the gentleman said he did not know. He just received the amount to bill. At least he was honest.

The market is so bad, anyone selling right now is usually in a real bind and the sales are below a typical market. THEN AGAIN, maybe the new sales prices ARE the new market. You could argue it both ways.

My tax bill was $824. I will take a look at your suggestion.

I think our marina has about a half dozen boats chained up for not paying their slip rent.
And I hear that is not uncommon right now.
 
Dave,

I think you are fine on the assessed value. Personal property tax is usually around 1%. Sacramento county has dropped the value of our boat far below what I hope that I could sell it for and it sounds like they've done the same for yours. Hope you're getting a little bit of enjoyment out of the boat now that it is close to home again.
 
Dave,

I think you are fine on the assessed value. Personal property tax is usually around 1%. Sacramento county has dropped the value of our boat far below what I hope that I could sell it for and it sounds like they've done the same for yours. Hope you're getting a little bit of enjoyment out of the boat now that it is close to home again.
 
Since your tax bill is $824 I don't know that you would get the assessor to lower it more than what I was calculating from NADA guides low retail. NADA guides are like the old Kelly Blue Book and fairly reliable the trouble as you wrote is finding a buyer, there just aren't any buyers for boats these days. What you might want to do instead of sparing with tax assessor is build a guitar. I built one from a $79 Grizzly kit this year and I love it. As careful as I was joining the neck and body using my laser level I ended up with high string action at the 12th fret and had to do a little trig calc then sand 5/64" off the saddle. It is important to epoxy the truss bar into the neck so you can adjust the bow. I think you would look great with a Jimmy Buffet straw hat on that Tolly 44 playing your homemade guitar.
IMG_0636.JPG
 
Hi Dave, we are still fixing things. Radar is down and in the Salon, awaiting the original tech who installed it. He is going to take a look at it since I found one of the two main power wires disconnected. I can only pray that is what is wrong with it.

We are using it quite a bit right now. Chris takes her friends down for a day on it, she even fishes off it once in awhile. I sit inside most of the time, air is easier to breathe.

As for the current valuation, I am not griping.

DeltaDawg, my wife plays the guitar some, I showed her your photo and she is now looking for her guitar. Glad you were able to sand it down and get it to work.

Our Portuguese Water Dog has learned a new trick. If I call her a "Dawg", she growls. Or a mutt. "You are just another worthless mutt" and she growls at me...while smiling. Chris is going to train her to shake her head no while she growls. Not sure how she will do it, but she has trained her to do all the other things so I wouldn't bet against her.
 
DLL, sounds like life is getting back on track for you and your admiral. I am very happy to read that! Blessings and continued improved health to you both.

Flutterby Liz
 
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