MHFHA Welcomes You! Web site last updated 07/01/09
MHFHA Board Meeting
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News of Interest
More information on the Cool Creek Tract.
Cabin owners face steep rise in fees.
An Oregonian article from 4/13/09 Lake of the Woods
Are you looking for an interesting project to energize you this summer.
The Mt Hood Chapter of the Pacific Crest Trail Association is seeking volunteers for trail work on the PCT this summer. If you are interested check it out at:
Wyden objects to planned pipeline through Mt Hood Forest ... a Oregonian article 12/18/08 ... Read More
Northwest forest fires map.
Check here to see what’s happening with current forest fires in the northwest. Large fire map
Follow-up to appraisal meetings
on the mountain
Friday evening June 19th,
There were 142 people that turned out at the Welches Lions Club to hear the Forest Service and their contracted appraiser discuss the current appraisal process. The “typical lot” appraisals were to commence Saturday morning. Tyler Woods, the contracted appraiser along with Cliff Curtis the Forest Service Senior Review Appraiser went over the process.
Basically it will involve several layers of work. The physical lot inspections will take place all day Saturday and Sunday and all 24 typical lots will be inspected by Mr. Woods. Tyler Woods is bound by the rules of CUFFA (Cabin User Fee Fairness Act) in the way his appraisals will be conducted. He will search for recent comparable sales of vacant forested lots. He may not use comparable sales from developments such as Timberline Rim etc. These lots were used in the 1998 appraisal, however CUFFA clearly states that these should not be allowed in this appraisal. From this he will set the value of the Forest Service lots based on the criteria set-up by appraisal standards and those that are set forth by the Forest Service in the interpretation of CUFFA. Tyler then has 60 days to make his conclusions.
His report then will be passed onto the Senior Review Appraiser, Cliff Curtis, who will review the documents for accuracy and that they followed the appraisal standards as set out in CUFFA. His report will be sent along to the Authorizing Officer for final review and determination. At that point a letter of completion will be sent out to all permittees.
Each permittee will have 60 days to review and determine if they want to dispute the value and seek an additional appraisal. You will have 1 year to complete the second appraisal and bear the cost on your own or collectively with the other represented cabins.
Many issues were brought up at the meeting about the process of setting the values. Most were related to “diminished value” due to the restrictions and the concern that it was not truly reflected in the 5% of assessed value. Road access was a hot topic and Tyler assured us that he would take the accessibility into consideration in the evaluation including blockage by snow and basic conditions of roads (pot holes etc). Tyler Woods along with the Forest Service reminded the cabin owners that the restrictions are to be considered in the 5 %. The land is to be appraised as if there were no structures on the land and no improvements (utilities etc).
The MHFHA Appraisal Committee gave Tyler a report they had put together outlining some of the items to be considered during the evaluation as well as providing a few comparables for his consideration.
All cabin owners were reminded …If they felt that their “typical lot” did not represent their lot and that another “typical” better represented their situation they should contact the Forest Service and make this known.
Saturday … June 20th ANNUAL MEETING
After a steady downpour throughout the
night, the skies cleared somewhat for our BBQ and meeting at the
parking lot of the Zigzag Ranger Station.
There were over 200 attendees at the meeting representing 100 cabins. This was the best turnout ever.
The meeting went smoothly after a BBQ that did not leave anybody hungry. The “Hot Topic” for the meeting was road maintenance. Fran presented a proposed request for snow plowing permit along with some very specific requirements.
Several speakers encouraged people to become involved by writing to their congressional representatives and asking them to call for hearings to review CUFFA. The MHFHA website has a link to make it easier to contact your representative. Attached is information passed along from the C2 Coalition for a their recommendation of changes to CUFFA. C2 Fee Models (PDF)
An additional item that was discussed at the meeting was the financial impact of cabin ownership to the local area. Economic Survey Report (PDF)
ALERT ... Still Creek Road Closure
Still Creek road is closed from cabin 6 to cabin 3 due to a land slide that occurred this past winter. Access to cabin 3 and higher will need be from road 20 until further notice. Cabin 1,2,4,6 may still be accessed from Still Creek Rd. on the Hwy 26 end.
This closure is for an indefinite time. You are able to walk or ride your bikes in the effected area after you navigate around a concrete “Jersey Barrier.” Just stay clear of the edge of the road in the slide area as it is undercut and may not be safe.
Update from Cabin Coalition 2
The following is an excerpt of a letter sent to all Oregon Forest Tracts from the "Cabin Coalition 2"
To all Oregon Tract boards,
This week has had phenomenal results in response to your emails based on the C2 Call To Action I distributed to all Oregon tracts two weeks ago. As of yesterday, Wayne Kinney of Senator Wyden’s office stated his Blackberry was full he had so many emails from Oregon cabin owners regarding our Forest Service appraisals.
Thank you for your letter writing and emails and keep them flowing to Senator Wyden’s office, along with our other representatives. Part of the email action this week is due to the favorable coverage in the Klamath Falls newspaper, the Herald and News.
Also, just this afternoon the attached letter arrived in my in box, (Link) signed by supportive members of Congress to the Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, stating that CUFFA interpretation needs to be reexamined by the Forest Service. I have also attached this letter for you to read. It offers hope to the tracts with outrageous appraisal results.
I have also attached a document describing two possible permit fee models, vetted by C2, that we are distributing to tract leadership and asking you to review and share the information. (Link) C2 needs your feedback, on a tract level, not by individual cabin owners, on the pros and cons of these two models. Over the course of the last 18 months, C2 has reviewed numerous fee setting methods in use by the Forest Service and other land management agencies.
From this task C2 has narrowed down the viable options for
our Forest Service permit fees into these two models, an appraisal
model and a base fee/transfer fee model. To keep the feedback
manageable, we ask you to share among your board and cabin owners as
you think is appropriate and provide your feed back to me, your OFHA C2
Rep. I will then summarize and forward the information to C2 for
review. Your input is valuable as C2 attempts to anticipate how these
models could work in setting permit fees in the future. We’d like
to receive your feedback by late May.
I’ll continue to forward valuable information to you to share with your cabin owners.
Sharon Karr OFHA C2 Rep.
Up coming Reappraisal Process
We need to start planning for the upcoming reappraisal work. MHFHA has started prework by organizing a work group to do some investigation of the process to be used and searching for some comparables. These comparable sales could be used by the Forest Service appraisers to establish the value of our properties.
Each cabin site will not be individually appraised. They have established a group of similar situation lots to be used as “Typical Lots” representing your lot. If you are not familiar with your “Typical” you can look on this list to find your cabin and it will tell you where the “Typical” is located. You can then toggle down to page 13 on the list and the next portion of the list has the “Typical” listed and all the cabins it represented.
Every one should be aware of their “Typical” in case you have a disagreement with the choice used. Keep in mind it is only the lot being appraised and not the cabin.
Recently a notice was sent out from the appointed appraiser to Permit Holders on record. This notice was to inform cabin owners of the scheduled times to have their “typical lots” reviewed. This inspection will take place on Saturday June 20, 2009. The following is a link to the inspection schedule. (Link)
This the latest information from the Cabin Coalition 2
The first of these two documents that the C2 just put out describes the two options that they are going to ask Congress to consider regarding how permit fees are assessed. (Link)
The second document is a “Call to Action”. They ask every cabin owner to write letters to your congressional leaders. The included information may be useful when writing your letters as we have found that most congressional leaders have WRONG information about CUFFA. (Link)
_______________________________________
Are you outraged with the Forest Service decision to implement the 1998 CUFFA appraisal?
This appraisal was used to determine your fee increases starting this year.
If you find this to be a problem, write your Congressman and request an immediate fee moratorium.
You can find the appropriate congressman to address your concerns by going to one of these sites.
Write to all of them and keep the pressure on them to make this a priority issue.
In your correspondence:
1) Let them know how displeased you were at the confusion of how Congress said they were going to review the issue and then to find out the Forest Service said they had no authority to hold up the billing.
2) The 2009 fees are excessively high and were based on a flawed appraisal process a decade or more old that CUFFA had proposed to correct.
3) Congress should take the time to reexamine CUFFA and the full appraisal process now used by the Forest Service. All fee increases should be suspended until Congress has that opportunity thereby according all cabin owners of being treated fairly.
4) The restrictions and value reduction provisions on the use of your cabins are not sufficiently addressed in the fee setting process. ( Read your new permit to get an idea of some of the many restrictions. )
The above are just a few of the points that could be made for the case of imposing a moratorium.
Remember …. The more letters and communications received by our Congressional representatives the stronger the message. You can call, FAX, email or use the old method of writing. The important thing is let them know how you feel about this.
Keep in mind that our increase this year is just a percentage of the total increase based on the last appraisal process. The next two years will see the remainder of this increase implemented. The end result will be approximately a 300% increase from your 2008 fee.
During the next year we will see a new appraisal, based on the same methodology, to set our fees for the years after 2012.
We need to do what you can to protect this program and keep our cabins affordable for the average person.
“Outline of the appraisal process and
upcoming fee increases”
This is a Power Point presentation put together by the Cabin Coalition II. The presentation takes you through the concerns of the upcoming appraisals and what CUFFA could mean to you in the future. You will need to “scroll with your mouse” to move from slide to slide. CUFFA presentation
Cabin Coalition
Recently you may have received a letter from the "Cabin Coalition 2." The letter stated the problem with the current system of assessing our permit fees and it also brings out the devastating effect it will have on the Summer Homes program. Click here to read a copy of that letter.
This letter was a “call to action” on the part of the cabin owners. If you are in agreement with their concerns, please write your congressmen and enlist their help in reevaluating the fee setting process.
You can find the appropriate person to direct your concerns to at this site. Please send us a copy of any correspondence you send. Click here to find all your congressional representatives
To Plow or Not To Plow ...
This is a question that came up quite a few times during our recent bout with “old man winter”.
Many people wanted to know why the forest service did not take care of their (our) roads. The frustration mounted as the snow piled up and cabin owners could not drive into their cabins to enjoy a spectacular winter wonderland. Representatives of this association recently had a meeting with Fran Lanagan (Summer Homes Program Director) and Bill Westbrook (District Ranger) and posed just this question. In answering this question, Fran referred to our permits where it is stated
“Unless specifically provided as an added provision to this permit, this authorization is for site occupancy and does not provide for the furnishing of structures, road maintenance, water, fire protection, or any other such services by a government agency, utility association, or individual.”
With this being said, Bill Westbrook added as discussion that he would be open to issuing a conditional permit to an individual or a group of cabin owners for clearing their road. There would be a nominal fee and certain restrictions and an acceptance of liability in the event that other people’s property was damaged during the plowing. Their concerns were based on the protection of the environment as well as our neighbor’s property. During a major snow fall with-out “guide posts” to show the whereabouts of the road edge, property makers, and utility markers, there could be major damage done. You could also find that your driveway had been cut off by a pile of snow created in an effort to clear the path for someone else. It was also discussed that if a permit is issued by the Forest Service to allow snow plowing, that the entire road would need to be maintained throughout the snow season, not just an isolated occasion.
How about spring and summer road repair?
The answer similarly applies almost the same to the summer time maintenance of roads. Although our permit does not specify that the Forest Service has an obligation for road maintenance or improvements in the Summer Homes area, they do have an obligation to maintain the roads in the National Forest for the use of the general public. Some of our roads are used for access to trail heads and fishing holes. With the limited resources, both financial as well as personnel, the Forest Service still does occasionally contract out this maintenance work.
Bill again said he would be very willing to work something out whereas we would be granted permission to do some minor work on the roads. This could even include making road gravel available to our work groups to fill pot holes and even out some of the rough spots. Any work of this type would require prior approval by the F.S staff to ensure that damage is not done to the environment or any lot damage.
We will stay in dialogue with the Forest Service regarding these two issues and keep you updated!
Cabin Permit Fees are Rising
How High Will They Go?
The yearly fee cabin owners pay to the US Forest Service (Special Permit Fee) is based on 5% of the assessed land value. The last appraisal on the lots that all Mt Hood area cabins sit on was conducted in 1999. Due to the CUFFA (Cabin User Fee Fairness Act) legal battles, permit fees have not been based on the 1999 appraisal – but beginning January 2009 they will be.
The other critical decision made by CUFFA is that all lots will be on a 10-year appraisal cycle.
What does that mean to you? The fee you pay in January 2009 will reflect a permit fee based on the 1999 appraisals. In 2009 new appraisals will be conducted and the permit fee based on this new appraisal will go into affect in the year 2012.
This PDF shows a chart of permit fees for a typical cabin located on the water. The chart takes into account the actual fees paid in the past 10 years and the ensuing change based on the 1999 reappraisal as well as a projected increase based on the forthcoming 2009 appraisal. The annual fee for this cabin in 1965 was $43.00
As cabin owners we have the right to be a part of the appraisal process. If these higher fees concern you – please get involved!
Deputy King of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s office replies.
The following is in response to my question as
to what suggestions he might offer to deter the bad
guys based on his experience in this sort of crimes. Besides all the structural
thing that can be done he stresses the importance of just being aware of your
surrounding. Check your neighbor’s cabin when you are there.
Deputy King wrote:
The main thing I have seen is the suspects do not like to
break large windows to gain access. The older cabins have older doors with the
frames and probably have the short screws holding the brackets in. That’s where
I would start, where the latch goes into the door frame; replace those screws
with the 4 inch ones that go straight into the studs to make it more secure.
Also, if they have a glass window pane on the door, get rid of it, all they do
is break out the lower pane and unlock the door.
Of course the best option is to update the windows and doors,
but that can be spendy. Then there are bars, but who wants to live in a
prison.
The most important thing is find out who lives up there and
make sure they have contact numbers and are aware of cars coming and going.
That’s how this last case was broken, a very sharp neighbor saw a truck parked
in front of a vacation home and he heard the glass break. Got the plate number
and located the truck about an hour later.
Good News for all cabin owners
The following email was sent out to all Jan 2nd:
This information may be “old” news to those who have spent a lot time on the mountain in the past month, but for all of us it is Good News.
I am happy to report that there have been some positive actions dealing with the burglaries on the mountain. Read the attached PDF of the latest Mountain Times. Mt Times Article
This does not mean that we can let our guard down as this is just one individual and he may have some “friends” in the same business. This arrest came about due to a “concerned citizen” reporting something that appeared suspicious. Please report any break-ins to us after you have contacted the Sheriff’s office.
If you see suspicious activity, contact the police immediately. Watch for unusual vehicles this time of year, jot down license plate numbers, and be aware! Report it to Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch at 503-655-8211.
A hearty THANKS to the sheriff’s office and Deputy Scott King in particular.
Repair & Maintenance Contacts
Do you need to find a reputable person to perform work on your prized cabin?
We have started a resource for references on the “Mt Hood Community” page.