Sounds more like an elected office….

Just think, a tax-free ride through life sponsored by every other member of the community. Now that’s an accomplishment.

Let’s see….who could we possibly thank for getting that ball rolling?

Maybe now the whining can stop.

What about those other clubs who have been following the law and paying property tax on their groomers? Get ‘em a rebate, Jim! No sense quitting when your on a roll. By the way, Jim, you might want to check to see just how many of those grateful snowmobile club members voted for you in the last election, and will do it again in the next one. Whoopsie…..

Well, this case is closed. But now I’m wondering about the tax-exempt status of property and buildings owned by churches. Doesn’t seem fair that my tax money subsidizes the activities of churches that I may not want to support….

Mr. Johnson was contacted in 2007 and asked for his opinion on the advantages of having a snowmobile club in his Town. He did not respond.

So, for an organization with estimated annual sales of $230,000 (see: http://www.manta.com/coms2/dnbcompany_h8ssl ), that equates to 4/10 of one percent of their annual income.

There must have been a club meeting recently. I had the opportunity to speak with an involved member last night. According to what he said, the club’s tax bill would amount to about $2 per member. Outrageous you say? Get over it, I say.

What was interesting about the conversation was the person I was talking with sounded just like Wally, but it wasn’t him. He had no intention on “discussing” anything. He wanted to be heard. I heard him. It’s unfortunate that a little bit of bad information goes such a long way.

So for anyone else, who may actually be interested, let’s get back to the facts.

Fact: I did not file a complaint. The letter of response from the DA’s office is inaccurate. Those of you with a copy should note after the first paragraph, the balance refers to the initial correspondence as an “inquiry”, which is all it was. And also note that the DA’s office acknowledged no jurisdiction over the matter, which means they’ve done nothing.

Fact: All property in the State of Wisconsin is taxable, unless specifically exempt by statute. Straight forward enough, one would think. Like, your house. It’s taxable, if you want to keep it, you pay taxes. Nobody likes it, but it’s necessary.

Fact: Wally has known for years that the club’s property is taxable. If he hasn’t prepared the club for that, that would be a reflection on leadership.

As long as we’re at it, let’s debunk a few claims I’ve heard more than once.

“The Sno-Devils are being picked on.” False. All snowmobile grooming equipment is taxable, not just the stuff the Sno-Devils own. Get over it.

“No other club in the State pays property taxes.” False. Let’s stay in the county and name just a couple that do: Lily Sno-Birds, Tombstone-Pickerel. There are well over 200 clubs in the State, it would be naive to think no other clubs pay taxes.

“The school (Elcho) is going to suffer from this.” False. The school is suffering now from this, and everyone else in the district, too. State aids and appropriations are all based on equalized value. Withholding value from the assessment roll is detrimental to those calculations for the funding we need for our kids’ education. Something that can’t be made up by donating a tech school course. As a matter of fact, the amount of stimulus money the school will be receiving is less because the Sno-Devils are not being included in the assessment roll. Thanks again.

If anyone needs more information, read the above posts, or the State Statutes, or call the DOR, or check their web site. Maybe the Sno-Devils should invite a DOR representative to a meeting if they need further explanation.

So, for anyone else, if you’d like to discuss this, like adults, let’s do that.

“The Elcho school will be the beneficiary this year of joint scholarship effort between the Sno-Devils Snowmodbile Club and the Parrish Highlanders ATC Club. The two organizations are joining together to offer $2,000 in vocational educational scholarships to seniors at Elcho this year. A club spokesman staid the effort, announced after discussions Thursday, are part of the joint effort by the two gorups to support local programs.”

Like, how about supporting your local tax collection program by paying taxes owed on personal property? I saw a letter from the State of Wisconsin Department of Revenue to Elcho’s assessor Kelly Zillmer and the chairman of the Town of Elcho Gary Johnson, among others, advising them that, “Snowmobiles are exempt from property taxes under Wisconsin Statutes Section 70.112(5). This exemption does not extend to snowmobile grooming or other snowmobile related equipment.”

Now, just what part of that statement escapes the understanding of Mr. Zillmer and Mr. Johnson? It takes more than a scholarship contribution to balance the tab, here.