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Editorial: Put end to 'futile' taxation dispute with Chehalis Tribe

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

The Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, Washington, a partnership with the Chehalis Tribe that's located on trust land. Photo by camknows / Flickr

Newspaper calls on Thurston County in Washington to end its long-running taxation battle with the Chehalis Tribe:

Thurston County’s futile, seven-year court battle to collect property taxes from Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound is finally over. Perhaps now the county and the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation can now enter meaningful negotiations to compensate the county for the services it provides.
The county has lost millions of dollars spent on legal fees, and lost the opportunity to collect fees-for-service during the protracted period of this court fight.
County Assessor Steven Drew thankfully stopped the bleeding when he declined to appeal an Oct. 16 Board of Equalization ruling that unattached business personal property in Great Wolf Lodge was also exempt from property taxes. It was the last outstanding issue in this sorry saga.
The county began assessing property taxes on Great Wolf in 2007, based on an incorrect belief that it could tax the buildings located on the 43 acres of non-reservation land held in trust for the Chehalis tribe. The buildings are owned by a joint partnership between the tribe and Great Wolf Resorts, a Wisconsin-based company.
Since the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled against Thurston County in 2013 – a decision that had statewide ramifications -- the county has continued to assess taxes on the unattached business personal property inside the lodge, such as furniture, artwork and other fixtures. The Board of Equalization ruled that property is also exempt.

Get the Story:
Editorial: Now real talks can begin in Great Wolf saga (The Olympian 11/19)

9th Circuit Decision:
Chehalis Tribe v. Thurston County (July 30, 2013)