Photo by Persephone Rose
Four county supervisors officially opposed efforts by the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation to place more than 24 acres into trust, citing concerns that the land would no longer generate tax revenue for the county.
In a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs on Tuesday supervisors pointed out that much of Del Norte County consists of public land and is home to “three tribes whose trust land holdings have grown over the past decade.”
“Although each acquisition may seem small, the cumulative impact of continued reductions of the county’s privately held land base — and thus its taxable land base — is significant,” the letter states. “This ongoing trend strains local resources and challenges the county’s ability to serve its residents.”
District 5 Supervisor Dean Wilson was absent.
The letter applies to two applications the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation made to the Bureau of Indian Affairs on Nov. 20. The first concerns two parcels totaling 3.55 acres that includes the Rowdy Creek Fish Hatchery. According to a staff report from Community Development Director Heidi Kunstal, the land would still house the hatchery.
The second application concerns 21.27 acres of undeveloped land between U.S. 101 and Ocean View Drive south of Lucky 7 Casino and north of All-Star Liquor. According to Kunstal’s staff report, the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation plans to build new housing, a cultural preserve, a new cultural center “for cultural revitalization and self-determination” and additional parking.
Both applications apply to land in Smith River.
On Tuesday, Smith River’s representative on the Board of Supervisors, Chris Howard, argued that the Tolowa Dee-Ni’ Nation’s petition would result in tax revenue being taken away from Del Norte County.
He referred to a “no-net-loss” policy the county has when it comes to supporting or opposing proposals that affect its ability to tax land in the county and stated the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation’s efforts could impact Del Norte’s ability to provide services.
This no-net-loss policy came into play when Rellim Redwood Company sold 25,000 acres of timber lands to the Save the Redwoods League, Howard said. That land generated “a great deal of income” for Del Norte County, but the revenue dried up when Save the Redwoods added it to the state park system.
Because of that policy, the county negotiated the creation of the Rellim Fund, which is money it can use for economic development, Howard said.
Howard also mentioned Elk Valley Rancheria and its efforts to place the DeMartin Ranch south of Crescent City into trust. That land is now the site of its new casino, Howard said.
“When Elk Valley Rancheria was moving through the process, this county, long before my time, negotiated an MOU … that allows a process for tax [revenue] to come back into the county so it’s not a net loss,” Howard said. “Our predecessors felt it was extremely important to have a policy in place for this Board to consider and discuss every time a process would come forward similar to what we’re considering here today, which is the fee-to-trust application for parcels in the Smith River area.”
According to Kunstal’s staff report, the 24.82 acres of land the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation is asking the Bureau of Indian Affairs to place into trust generates $21,804.42 in property tax revenue.
The Board of Supervisors also opposed a previous application the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation submitted to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 2017 to acquire land through the fee-to-trust process. According to Kunstal, supervisors were also concerned about a potential loss in tax revenue.
