05-02-2005 - Laserfiche WebLink

Commission Minutes-May 2, 2005 2892 11. CONTRACT APPROVAL, Road projects; City of Farao and the Housing and Redevelopment Authoritv of Fargo; North Dakota Department of Transportation MOTION, passed Mr. Wagner moved and Mr. Pawluk seconded to approve the following contracts submitted by respective department head, subject to state's attorney approval, and authorize the chairman to sign contract documents upon receipt: On roll call vote, the motion carried unanimously. Central Specialties, Inc.-Highway 81 shoulder widening and reshaping from County Road 16 to the county line in the amount of $1,589,018.39; Industrial Builders, Inc.-box culvert over the Sheyenne River north of Horace, on 64th Avenue, in the amount of $1 ,035,148.22; Northstar Material, Inc.-bituminous overlay on County Road 22 from Interstate 29 to the Red River in the amount of $711,043.72; lease agreement with City of Fargo and the Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the City of Fargo for the radio tower on top of the Fargo High Rise; North Dakota Department of Transportation Amended Traffic Safety Grant, Project No. PHSP1570502-01-03, in the amount of $9,100 and related budget adjustments. 12. ABATEMENT HEARING, Kmart Corporation Frank Klein, County Director of Tax Equalization, provided information on the request for abatement of property taxes submitted by the Kmart Corporation, who is the lessee on two properties in the City of Fargo. Commissioners received information from the City of Fargo Assessment Department and from the applicant's property tax representative, Burr Wolff. Jeffery King was present from Burr Wolff, representing Kmart Corporation. He said the information provided to the county includes income and expenses, lease history and comparable sales. They believe the valuation for the property located at 2301 South University Drive should be reduced from $3,574,000 to $3,170,400 for the year 2000; and that the valuation of the property located at 4427 13th Avenue South should be reduced from $4,792,000 to $3,409,600 for the year 2000. Also present were Fargo City Assessor, Ben Hushka, and Mitch Marcuson, from the Fargo Assessment Office. Mr. Hushka addressed the county board on the supporting data which his office provided to the county and the methods his office used to establish the valuations on these two properties. If anything, he said the comparison tests would indicate the assessment department may have been Iowan the valuation, rather than high. In Mr. Klein's written investigation of the abatement applications, he states the documents provided by J.P. Rand of Burr Wolff contain general information and there is no analysis on how this information supports their contention that the assessment is excessive. He said the income approach consists of one page with no discussion on how the income, expenses and capitalization rate estimates were determined; and there is no cost approach to value. The sales comparison approach amounts to listings of sales; however, Mr. Klein said there is no analysis comparing the sales to the subject property. He concluded the applicant has not shown that the assessment is invalid, inequitable or excessive.