September 12, 1963 (16 pages)

@Se@A Nugget Special Report ~ ——= PROPERTY VALUE By Dean Thompson The California population explosion hit Nev ada County this year with an 18 cent special school tax punch that telegraphs more explosive problems to come. Abram Goldman, chief of the inter-county ratio’section of the California Board of Equalization, explains it thisway, “You are beginning to feel, over the longer range period, the influx of value influences. ” He referstothe fact that in the past three years Nevada County property values have jumped--tothe point where the county assessment rolls no longer reflect true value in the county, to the cad point where. the Nevada County Board of Supervisors was required by law to levy an additional 18 cent tax rate to make up for loss of school equalization funds under the Collier Factor formula, to the point where the county's assess~ ment roll was on the ragged edge this year of not being accepted by the California Board of Equalization. Goldman said he had great res~ pect for Nevada County's assessor, Charles Kitts, and explained that the assessment roll over the past three years appeared to be accurate by state methods of checking county growth. It was only after a state crew of appraisers turned in its findings JUMP WAS CAUSE on true property values in Nevada that the state board realized that the county assessment roll and the previous two years of state estimates were in obvious error. While the state average of assessment to true value was 23.1 per cent, Nevada County assess~ ments were only 19.1 per cent. This was in spite of the fact that the county's assessment roll during the two previous years was tliought to be within one-tenth of one per cent of the state average. Goldman explained that once every three years the state goes into each county, one-third of the state per year, and makes these appraisals in depth, During the two years intervening, the state estimate of county assessment roll accuracy is based on the previous appraisal indepth adjusted up or down ac~ c or ding to the increases or decreases or school enrollment, unemployment, and taxable sales. In Nevada County, school enrollment and unemployment remained somewhat constant during those intervening years. While taxable sales, adjusted to give weight to grocery sales and eliminate auto sales, showed an increase, that increase in no way approximated the increased value of landthat showed up in the appraisal. Goldman indicated that the increased land values, while not a result of a population explosion, could be considered the first warning that a population explosion isin the offing---in the immediate or short range future. People must buy property before they can move into a community, a county. The state official said that the population explosion that results from such an indicated interest in Nevada County property could not be expectedtobe as great as that which hit El Dorado County when south Tahoe boomed, but the situations are similar even if the booms are not directly comparable. There have been rumors that Serving the communities of Nevada City, Grass Vi field, Humbug, Relief Hill, Washington, Blue Tent, Remington Hill, Anthony House, Delirium Tremens. Volume 38, Number 37 & @ A SPECIAL NUGGET REPORT Trailer Court Boom \ By Alfred Heller Trailer courts, known to the industry as “mobile home parks, s are sprouting in profusion throughout western Nevada County. Monday night the county planning commission approved use permits for three new ones which will ac~commodate a total of 221 trailers. During the last two months alone, permits have been granted for 381 new trailer units. Assuming 3 occupants per trailer, the facilities can handle 1143 people. Where the new trailer population is coming from no one seems to be quite sure. Almost all of the developers of the new courts claim they are building for the future, not merely to handle the influx of families expected over the next two years due to the Yuba-Bear construction project. The cost of installing a trailer court cannot be amortized over a two year period. Unit costs re portedly range up to $2,000 and beyond. Nevertheless, additional new applications for trailer court use permits are expected, Some have claimed that it is better to have trailers in trailer courts where they can be controlled than to have them spread across the county on separate lots, eventually to become sub-stan~ dard housing units. But the fact is that there is no effective ordinance in Nevada County which curtails the helter-skelter location of individual trailers, Placer County and many other counties have such ordinances. Because the cost of living in a trailer court isnot low, trailer court Operators are already seeing potential customers locate in individual vacant lots where the cost of living may be cheaper. Most objections to trailers and trailer courts are totheir "unsightliness.” Recently the planning commission has followed a policy of approving use permit trailer court applications for highways 20 and 49 provided a 200 foot landscaped buffer is left between the developed area andthe center line of the road, under the principle that these highways have been designated official “scenic highways” by the state legislature and it is up to the local gevernment to provide controls to preserve the scenic character of these roads. The scenic appeal of the county is an economic asset which is a strong attraction to tourists and new residents. Trailer court developers object to these controls and say they should not have to pay taxes on property which they cannot develop in their trailer courts. Just how Nevada County is going tohandle its new trailer population while maintaining the beauty of its roads and landscape and residential areas is something that the people will have to hammer out through their planning commission and board of supervisors. A new ordinance might be in order which limits trailers in the . county to established trailer courts, And the county might do well to e&tablish a firm policy regarding setbacks for trailer courts along its:Scenic Highways. Fromthe standpoint of the occupants of trailer parks, health and safety might also be better served with reasonable landscaped setbacks. . Red Dog, You Bet, Town Talk, Glenbrook, Little York, Cherokee, ‘arr Meadows, Cedar Ridge, Union Hill, Peardale, Summit City, Walloupa, Gouge Eye, Lime Kiln, Chicago Park, Hill, Gold Flat, Soggsville, Gold Bar, Lowell Hill, Bourbon Hill, Scotch Hill, North Columbia, Columbia Hill, Brandy Flat, Sebastopol, Quaker Hill, Willow Valley, Newtown, 10 Cents A Copy Published Thursdays , Mooney Flat, Sweetland, Alpha, Omega, French Corral, Rough and Ready, Granitevill " Wolf, Christmas Hill, Liberty Hill, Sailor Flat, 0 Indian Flat, Bridgeport, Birchville, Moo fi 2 THE GOOD SHIP---An excursion raft owned by Bob Burns, Ronald Hanks and Carroll Beaver is shown on one of its many jaunts up Englebright Reservoir. Rafting is becoming an increasingly popular form of recreation in Nevada County. Additional pictures on pages 14 and 15. GATHERING MOSS Whiz-Bikes (Editor's Note: Joe Ruess begins a series of columns this week entitled “Gathering Moss". Ruess will spotlight mountain living each week.) ‘By Joe Ruess “Ought to be open season on ‘em. Factthey'd do better to put a bounty-on ‘em.” Old Bill wasn't talking about» animal predators or an especially \ obnoxious kind of hawk, He was referring to a new type of manmade monster, the gasolinedriven cycles that can and do operate on any trail. They don't need roads. “T ime was the big fish in backcountry lakes and streams was the fair game of the fellow with ambition enough tohike in after ‘em -and—fishin’-know -how enough to (Continued on Page 11) By Stuart Flansburg Mark Twain's ghost has returned to Twain's old Sierra-Nevada stomping grounds in the form of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn-like raft trips that meander up and down Englebright Reser~ voir. Over the Labor Day Weekend, 20 Huck Finns assaulted Nevada County's “Mississippi River" on a private excursion raft owned jointly by Bob Burns, Ronald Hanks and Carroll Beaver, all employees of the California Division of Forestry. This popular form of family recreation, introduced to Nevada County about a year and a half ago, is rapidly gaining momentum. Twenty-four raftswith one under construction, now dot the Englebright Marina. All but two’ of the craft are owned by people outside the county. Raft owners and friends pack up to spend a day, weekend or (Continued on Page 14) Deer Breakfast Deer hunters again this year will not have to open the. season on anempty stomach, The second annual deer hunter's breakfast, sponsored by the Nevada City fire department, is slated to start at 10 p.m. Sept. 20 and run through the night. The breakfast, consisting of ham and eggs, hash brown pota~ toes, hotcakes and coffee, will be held at the Ice House on the Plaza in Nevada City. *ZE1BD $6 OguEMEsles . KAVAQTT OFBIS *ITIVO woT4Zoes ST eOTPOTIed

@Se@A Nugget Special Report ~ ——= PROPERTY VALUE By Dean Thompson The California population explosion hit Nev ada County this year with an 18 cent special school tax punch that telegraphs more explosive problems to come. Abram Goldman, chief of the inter-county ratio’section of the California Board of Equalization, explains it thisway, “You are beginning to feel, over the longer range period, the influx of value influences. ” He referstothe fact that in the past three years Nevada County property values have jumped--tothe point where the county assessment rolls no longer reflect true value in the county, to the cad point where. the Nevada County Board of Supervisors was required by law to levy an additional 18 cent tax rate to make up for loss of school equalization funds under the Collier Factor formula, to the point where the county's assess~ ment roll was on the ragged edge this year of not being accepted by the California Board of Equalization. Goldman said he had great res~ pect for Nevada County's assessor, Charles Kitts, and explained that the assessment roll over the past three years appeared to be accurate by state methods of checking county growth. It was only after a state crew of appraisers turned in its findings JUMP WAS CAUSE on true property values in Nevada that the state board realized that the county assessment roll and the previous two years of state estimates were in obvious error. While the state average of assessment to true value was 23.1 per cent, Nevada County assess~ ments were only 19.1 per cent. This was in spite of the fact that the county's assessment roll during the two previous years was tliought to be within one-tenth of one per cent of the state average. Goldman explained that once every three years the state goes into each county, one-third of the state per year, and makes these appraisals in depth, During the two years intervening, the state estimate of county assessment roll accuracy is based on the previous appraisal indepth adjusted up or down ac~ c or ding to the increases or decreases or school enrollment, unemployment, and taxable sales. In Nevada County, school enrollment and unemployment remained somewhat constant during those intervening years. While taxable sales, adjusted to give weight to grocery sales and eliminate auto sales, showed an increase, that increase in no way approximated the increased value of landthat showed up in the appraisal. Goldman indicated that the increased land values, while not a result of a population explosion, could be considered the first warning that a population explosion isin the offing---in the immediate or short range future. People must buy property before they can move into a community, a county. The state official said that the population explosion that results from such an indicated interest in Nevada County property could not be expectedtobe as great as that which hit El Dorado County when south Tahoe boomed, but the situations are similar even if the booms are not directly comparable. There have been rumors that Serving the communities of Nevada City, Grass Vi field, Humbug, Relief Hill, Washington, Blue Tent, Remington Hill, Anthony House, Delirium Tremens. Volume 38, Number 37 & @ A SPECIAL NUGGET REPORT Trailer Court Boom \ By Alfred Heller Trailer courts, known to the industry as “mobile home parks, s are sprouting in profusion throughout western Nevada County. Monday night the county planning commission approved use permits for three new ones which will ac~commodate a total of 221 trailers. During the last two months alone, permits have been granted for 381 new trailer units. Assuming 3 occupants per trailer, the facilities can handle 1143 people. Where the new trailer population is coming from no one seems to be quite sure. Almost all of the developers of the new courts claim they are building for the future, not merely to handle the influx of families expected over the next two years due to the Yuba-Bear construction project. The cost of installing a trailer court cannot be amortized over a two year period. Unit costs re portedly range up to $2,000 and beyond. Nevertheless, additional new applications for trailer court use permits are expected, Some have claimed that it is better to have trailers in trailer courts where they can be controlled than to have them spread across the county on separate lots, eventually to become sub-stan~ dard housing units. But the fact is that there is no effective ordinance in Nevada County which curtails the helter-skelter location of individual trailers, Placer

County and many other counties have such ordinances. Because the cost of living in a trailer court isnot low, trailer court Operators are already seeing potential customers locate in individual vacant lots where the cost of living may be cheaper. Most objections to trailers and trailer courts are totheir "unsightliness.” Recently the planning commission has followed a policy of approving use permit trailer court applications for highways 20 and 49 provided a 200 foot landscaped buffer is left between the developed area andthe center line of the road, under the principle that these highways have been designated official “scenic highways” by the state legislature and it is up to the local gevernment to provide controls to preserve the scenic character of these roads. The scenic appeal of the county is an economic asset which is a strong attraction to tourists and new residents. Trailer court developers object to these controls and say they should not have to pay taxes on property which they cannot develop in their trailer courts. Just how Nevada County is going tohandle its new trailer population while maintaining the beauty of its roads and landscape and residential areas is something that the people will have to hammer out through their planning commission and board of supervisors. A new ordinance might be in order which limits trailers in the . county to established trailer courts, And the county might do well to e&tablish a firm policy regarding setbacks for trailer courts along its:Scenic Highways. Fromthe standpoint of the occupants of trailer parks, health and safety might also be better served with reasonable landscaped setbacks. . Red Dog, You Bet, Town Talk, Glenbrook, Little York, Cherokee, ‘arr Meadows, Cedar Ridge, Union Hill, Peardale, Summit City, Walloupa, Gouge Eye, Lime Kiln, Chicago Park, Hill, Gold Flat, Soggsville, Gold Bar, Lowell Hill, Bourbon Hill, Scotch Hill, North Columbia, Columbia Hill, Brandy Flat, Sebastopol, Quaker Hill, Willow Valley, Newtown, 10 Cents A Copy Published Thursdays , Mooney Flat, Sweetland, Alpha, Omega, French Corral, Rough and Ready, Granitevill " Wolf, Christmas Hill, Liberty Hill, Sailor Flat, 0 Indian Flat, Bridgeport, Birchville, Moo fi 2 THE GOOD SHIP---An excursion raft owned by Bob Burns, Ronald Hanks and Carroll Beaver is shown on one of its many jaunts up Englebright Reservoir. Rafting is becoming an increasingly popular form of recreation in Nevada County. Additional pictures on pages 14 and 15. GATHERING MOSS Whiz-Bikes (Editor's Note: Joe Ruess begins a series of columns this week entitled “Gathering Moss". Ruess will spotlight mountain living each week.) ‘By Joe Ruess “Ought to be open season on ‘em. Factthey'd do better to put a bounty-on ‘em.” Old Bill wasn't talking about» animal predators or an especially \ obnoxious kind of hawk, He was referring to a new type of manmade monster, the gasolinedriven cycles that can and do operate on any trail. They don't need roads. “T ime was the big fish in backcountry lakes and streams was the fair game of the fellow with ambition enough tohike in after ‘em -and—fishin’-know -how enough to (Continued on Page 11) By Stuart Flansburg Mark Twain's ghost has returned to Twain's old Sierra-Nevada stomping grounds in the form of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn-like raft trips that meander up and down Englebright Reser~ voir. Over the Labor Day Weekend, 20 Huck Finns assaulted Nevada County's “Mississippi River" on a private excursion raft owned jointly by Bob Burns, Ronald Hanks and Carroll Beaver, all employees of the California Division of Forestry. This popular form of family recreation, introduced to Nevada County about a year and a half ago, is rapidly gaining momentum. Twenty-four raftswith one under construction, now dot the Englebright Marina. All but two’ of the craft are owned by people outside the county. Raft owners and friends pack up to spend a day, weekend or (Continued on Page 14) Deer Breakfast Deer hunters again this year will not have to open the. season on anempty stomach, The second annual deer hunter's breakfast, sponsored by the Nevada City fire department, is slated to start at 10 p.m. Sept. 20 and run through the night. The breakfast, consisting of ham and eggs, hash brown pota~ toes, hotcakes and coffee, will be held at the Ice House on the Plaza in Nevada City. *ZE1BD $6 OguEMEsles . KAVAQTT OFBIS *ITIVO woT4Zoes ST eOTPOTIed