FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners will hear an appeal for a personal property tax abatement for Gordon Dummer’s Camps Inc. in Weld.

Commissioners voted 2-1 on Jan. 6 to hear the case, with Chairman Gary McGrane of Jay and Fred Hardy of New Sharon in favor. Clyde Barker of Strong said he opposed the move because the property on Webb Lake is commercial.

The appeal will be heard at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3, in the commissioners’ office at the Franklin County Courthouse.

Carolina Gail Shreve, president of Gordon Dummer Camps Inc., lives in California from September to April, when Dummer’s Beach Campground is closed.

She submitted a packet of information with the application for the appeal within 60 days of Weld assessors sending a letter of denial dated Oct. 14. Selectmen, as assessors, denied the abatement Oct. 7, according to their letter.

The personal property tax abatement of $1,072,174 in valuation amounted to $6,754.70 in taxes, according to the appeal packet. The personal property was taxed at $6.30 per $1,000 of valuation.

At the center of the dispute are the recreational campers and structures owned by campers and left at the campground during the off-season. Those items are allowed to be left at no cost to owners, Shreve wrote.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Tom Skolfield said Friday that the town had asked for updated information several times, including ownership of property on the site as of April 1, 2014, and did not receive it.

Skolfied said assessors do not know who owns the property for the specified tax year because items such as equipment, structures and campers change. They have tried working with the owners of the campground, he said.

Shreve wrote on the original abatement application to the board that the town knows all 144 taxpayers who have property on the campground because it has a list from 2013 taxes paid.

Shreve’s packet also includes a section of state law that says personal property owned by unknown persons shall be taxed to the person having it in their possession. A lien is placed on the property in behalf of the person in possession, which he or she may enforce for repayment.

“The reason we are appealing this decision is that this is not legally our tax bill,” Shreve wrote in a letter attached to the appeal. “We’ve owned Dummer’s Beach Campground for over 70 years and for every year prior to this, the town of Weld has billed each camper their tax assessment.”

The campground is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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