Certified Mail from the County

[wreckerman893]

Don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff.

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

SUGGESTION:

Since you seem reluctant to simply pick up the envelope at the Post Office and end the speculation..... A MUCH SLOWER OPTION would be to MAIL your "missed delivery notice" to CARNAC. He'll be able to hold it to his turban'd forehead and tell you what the actual LETTER says.
(...or maybe not.)

opcorn:





.​

 

[patracy]

I had to go to Russell County, AL yesterday and speak to the DA's office with one of my drivers.

Evidently, 17 years ago...yes 17, he wrote a bad check and they JUST got around to sending him the "pay up or we'll issue a warrant" letter!!

I went with him in case he got "ambushed". The clerk pointed to a verticle file that was easily 5' high and prolly 10' wide and said they are "a little behind" on collecting and we are making an all out effort.
I asked if there was a statute of limitations on bad checks...she said no!


Cost him $162.50 for a 17yr old $92.00 check.

Just goes to show how broke the nation is. They're going back 17 years to collect anything they can!

 

[Rambling Wreck]

Why worry about it until you have the letter? It could be for a missed trash pickup bill or any of a number of things. I get them for some pretty benign things but they aren't anything to fret over. Life is too short to start speculating what it is until it is in your hands.

The reason why I asked for advice is because you can deny a certified letter and I was curious I if anyone would make that suggestion and provide good reasoning for that course of action. I can't deny it once I have already accepted it and that is why I started this thread before receiving the letter.

Yeesh, really, Hey Can you guys tell me whats in the letter in my mail box ") Figure if anyone should know its you guys, hey its certified and You know...And the internet sites do have all the answers anyone could want...Hey You guys get those all the time i am guessing, You really went on the internet rather than getting the letter? for the most reasons to get one? Are there really places with such silly info? Why not go get the letter? Well since you asked....SOOO .... I will take a shot at this, i think the letter contains some accidently secret sent Military info , That way it would pertain to this site, Since no one knows whats in the letter yet, it probably belongs on one of those BS sites,Not a Military truck talk site ( yet) Just sayin no disrespect intended here, ....... Hope it is good news for you. But hey it was fun to read...and post...

I think you missed my point. I couldn't just go get the letter. I only got the notice yesterday. I called the post office and they said that the letter was still with the mail carrier and that it wouldn't be available for pickup until today. Not only that, I wasn't sure that I wanted to receive the letter, hence why I was asking for advice. Who knows, it could have said something like "you have seven days to respond from the time of receipt of this notice" and in that case I would like to have been as prepared as possible do make my response. That is why I wanted to do some research on the front end.

Well, you've started out with the best option. Always start a thread on the Interwebs.

Have you been cranking up your stereo system in your driveway?

Sarcasm

To answer your question, no I haven't even turned my stereo on, while at my house, in probably a month.

I know a few people that received divorce papers...opcorn:

Well, sorry to disappoint you but that isn't the case here.

SUGGESTION:

Since you seem reluctant to simply pick up the envelope at the Post Office and end the speculation..... A MUCH SLOWER OPTION would be to MAIL your "missed delivery notice" to CARNAC. He'll be able to hold it to his turban'd forehead and tell you what the actual LETTER says.
(...or maybe not.)

How do I seem reluctant? I just got the notice yesterday. Did you expect me to break into the post office last night and find the letter? Hesitant maybe because I wanted to try as best as possible to have my ducks in a row before I acknowledged receipt of the letter but I am not reluctant.



For those who have suggested that the letter might be a good thing, I think you guys missed the part where I said it was from the county. I doubt that Cobb County would send me any good news via certified letter.


Now for the rest of the story:
My curiosity was driving me nuts so I went by the post office to get the letter on my way to work this morning. It was from the Cobb County Board of Equalization and was a ruling on the determination of the fair market value of my Toyota Tacoma. You see, this year my ad valorem tax actually went up so I decided to dispute the valuation. This was months ago and from previous (non certified) letters I have received, I thought the matter was settled. Apparently, this letter (months later) was for the official ruling. So... the good news is that it wasn't related to my M35A3 and this is really good to know because there are quite a few members here who have MV's in this county. So, for now it doesn't appear that code enforcement is out to get us. The bad news is that my Tacoma has been valued at about $5,000 over blue book which translates into an over taxation of about $60/year. It is no fun having your taxes go up on a truck that is seven years old with 120,000 miles on it.

 

[197thhhc]

I would not live in a personal property tax state. I think that should be against the law. Its the 1 thing that Ohio is doing right. You should only pay tax on something you buy when you buy it.

Glad it wasn't about your deuce.

 

[Storm 51]

Glad to hear you don't have issues requiring a lawyer. They are nice to have around when you need them but it does increase the stress level in your life.

BTW, worry is interest on trouble that is paid before it falls due.

Storm 51

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

I am respectfully cancelling my subscription to this thread since it has now been stated that it is NOT MV RELATED and outside the Scope of the STEELSOLDIERS.COM webite RULES.

NEW SUGGESTION: CLOSE &/or DELETE THREAD

 

[319]

Well that was disappointing!

 

[harleyhouse]

When I read this I automaticly thought about the scene in the movie SEVEN
where Brad pit kept asking What's in the box?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1giVzxyoclE

 

[Rambling Wreck]

I am respectfully cancelling my subscription to this thread since it has now been stated that it is NO MV RELATED and outside the Scope of the STEELSOLDIERS.COM webite RULES.

NEW SUGGESTION: CLOSE &/or DELETE THREAD

Sorry to disappoint you. When I created the thread I was all but certain that the letter had something to do with my MV. So I did not start this thinking that it was outside the scope of SS. However, it is still probably MV related since I did state that Cobb County doesn't appear to be actively pursuing code enforcement on MV's. There was also quite a bit of dialog here and speculation that probably got other members thinking about what they should do in a similar situation and for that it is relevant to the site and it should therefore stay.

To me this is a happy ending. Not the best possible outcome but certainly not the worst. What a relief.

 

[Squirt-Truck]

OK, I will make the MV part of the thread.
What has Cobb County Valued your A3 at? (Yes I am being noisey.)

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

Sorry to disappoint you. When I created the thread I was all but certain that the letter had something to do with my MV. So I did not start this thinking that it was outside the scope of SS. However, it is still probably MV related since I did state that Cobb County doesn't appear to be actively pursuing code enforcement on MV's. There was also quite a bit of dialog here and speculation that probably got other members thinking about what they should do in a similar situation and for that it is relevant to the site and it should therefore stay.

To me this is a happy ending. Not the best possible outcome but certainly not the worst. What a relief.

I apologize if I was a bit short in my prior post. I have now gotten some rest and am much less distressed.

ref this thread for an understanding of my fatigue:
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showth...2-Hunt-For-Heroes-Parade-San-Angelo-TX-CANCEL

Glad this thread has taken a turn to MV relativity.

I'm hanging in, troops.

John

 

[Rambling Wreck]

OK, I will make the MV part of the thread.
What has Cobb County Valued your A3 at? (Yes I am being noisey.)

I don't have the A3 registration in front of me now but I will share that information once I have it. I do remember that I only paid $6 and some change for the ad valorem tax and then $20 for the tag fee.

 

[Rambling Wreck]

OK, I will make the MV part of the thread.
What has Cobb County Valued your A3 at? (Yes I am being noisey.)

The registration says that my A3 is has a valuation of "00048W $190". I'll take that, I guess.

 

[saddamsnightmare]

November 18th, 2012.

Ramblin Wreck:

Now that YOU know your Toyota's overvalued, wait untill the Cobb County Tax Assessor sees what Uncle Sam valued your M35A3 at on the demil code sticker, then you'll really be howling. $190.00 won't even touch it if a deuce (M35A2) was valued at $41,480- and be advised Uncle NEVER depreciates his equipment, no matter how old it is!
It's time to trade in your modern junk and get a WWII GPW, at least they were priced reasonable way back then!

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

November 18th, 2012.

Ramblin Wreck:

Now that YOU know your Toyota's overvalued, wait untill the Cobb County Tax Assessor sees what Uncle Sam valued your M35A3 at on the demil code sticker, then you'll really be howling. $190.00 won't even touch it if a deuce (M35A2) was valued at $41,480- and be advised Uncle NEVER depreciates his equipment, no matter how old it is!
It's time to trade in your modern junk and get a WWII GPW, at least they were priced reasonable way back then!

It's a good idea to read the HEADING on the column that notes that $41,480 value.... it says ACQUISITION VALUE.... NOT the Value at the time Uncle Sam liquidated it!!!!

BUYER BEWARE also means KNOW WHAT YOU'RE READING when you use GL documentation for Titling and Registration purposes.

IMHO

 

[3dAngus]

November 18th, 2012.

Ramblin Wreck:

Now that YOU know your Toyota's overvalued, wait untill the Cobb County Tax Assessor sees what Uncle Sam valued your M35A3 at on the demil code sticker, then you'll really be howling. $190.00 won't even touch it if a deuce (M35A2) was valued at $41,480- and be advised Uncle NEVER depreciates his equipment, no matter how old it is!
It's time to trade in your modern junk and get a WWII GPW, at least they were priced reasonable way back then!

Actually, this is not at true for many reasons. Not my intention to be argumentative, just enlightening in the response.

1. The government depreciates everything, through the govt. accounting office, local to every military installation. This is done for many reasons, all of which make perfectly good sense.
One reason is, the user is responsible for each and every asset in his inventory. There is a custodian. That custodian, is responsible for the upkeep and documentation of every asset in his organizations inventory. And, if it is found the custodian is "negligent", that custodian can be held responsible for losses on the asset. In this case, the deuce would be depreciated over a 8 year basis, and if found "negligent" pay could be extracted from his paycheck at the rate of cost minus any depreciation.

2. In Georgia, the original cost has little bearing on todays valuation outside of accounting purposes. It is fully depreciated. For this reason, most Georgia Department of Motor Vehicles ask the owner of the value, and they usually accept what the owner values it at. I have had this done on about six of my vehicles in my inventory and no one has ever questioned it.
Georgia also does not title vehicles before 1986, and are not terribly interested in valuations as a result. They do and will collect tag money and registration fees, but there is not a huge cost for ad valorem taxes in the state on our older vehicles due to the owners citing the valuation.

With no state support for title in hand on pre 1986 vehicles, it is not unusual in the state for the owner to cite one valuation for ad valorem taxes, and another for insurance purposes.

 

[saddamsnightmare]

November 19th, 2012.

I don't know what branch of the government some of you guys work for, but Uncle never depreciates his equipment, he doesn't pay taxes on it, and the custodial officer is responsible for the full price of the equipment he signs for upon receipt. Just lose a five ton you signed for and see where your career goes..... U.S.Geodetic Survey retired about ten years back a 1931 Model A Ford coupe they used to run the lines in Death Valley,CA., and I can guarantee it was valued on their books at the new value (1931). They retired it finally to their museum, but it had "I"-Interior Plates, not G- GSA Plates, and if there's an "I" plate its gonna be around a very long time.....

 

[3dAngus]

Again, I'm sorry, but this is not at all true. I have personal experience at being a custodian, at obtaining records of depreciation from Base Accounting Office, and of fighting with a Colonel on the Base for what is, and what is not, defined as being negligent, when I was being charged with negligence in the loss of an asset. I won. Base Accounting helped. Depreciation is broken down into varied categories, depending on asset class. It starts at five years, with most assets I worked with in the 8 year depreciation class. I had $millions of dollars assigned to my account, and it is a responsibility no one really wants, but everyone needs to have in place for appropriate accountability purposes. I was fully trained and qualified to say, and the Colonel, when enlighten in the case, rightfully dropped all charges and attempt to dock my pay. It was complicated, took about 4 weeks to resolve, included an Office of Special Investigation report, and was handled very professionally.

The information you are putting out is simply not true. All equipment is depreciated on a yearly basis through government accounting. Record keeping is a different matter.
And just because a piece of equipment is fully depreciated, it doesn't mean it is not worth anything. The valuation of an asset after it is depreciated is another matter as well.

You can rent out your house and depreciate it on your taxes for 28.5 years, down to zero dollar basis, but it doesn't mean it's not worth something. It's probably worth more. Depreciation has little to do with real worth. It's an accounting function. It usually works best for electronics which are usually worthless and obsolete by the time we fully depreciate them.

 

[sandcobra164]

Mr. McGrogan,
I love how well you articulate your point in your posts and I'll try to do the same in support of what Mr. Emerson is saying. In GA, we don't get a title for the old stuff but with "registration only", it works like this. They send a Sheriff's Deputy out to your house to fill out a form. You take that form to the tag office and they process it. During that, they ask what it's worth. When I registered my Deuce, the lady was nice enough to explain to me that whatever I told them it was worth would directly affect how it was taxed. I showed her the paperwork where I paid 1,045 dollars for it, we settled on a value of 1,000 and called it a day. My wife registered the CUCV and I forgot to give her the same advice so it's valued at 2,500 and I pay more for tags on it than the Deuce.

Respectfully,

Joseph