Letter: Don't point fingers at county assessor for land mixup

The purpose of this letter is to clarify any misconception that your readers may have, in addition to demystifying the complicated issues involved in this case.

First, I must make it very clear that the assessor's office cannot and will not arbitrarily reconfigure parcel boundaries. Appropriate legal documentation is needed to facilitate a boundary line adjustment. Several laws govern the division of land to protect the public from unscrupulous land deals.

In this case, the two parcels Ohriner purchased include a portion of the currently traveled Desert Inn arterial. When the transaction took place, the recorded deed did not have a modified legal description reflecting the removal of those portions of the parcels currently being used for the arterial.

It must be noted that the assessor's office does not generate nor participate in the crafting of legal descriptions. Our parcel maps are for taxation purposes only; they are not legal documents used to prove ownership. Our role is to receive the deeds containing the legal descriptions after they have been recorded. If they comply with the law, we proceed to make the necessary adjustments to our parcel maps.

Government entities typically make legal adjustments to property they own by either dedicating the property that is being used for a public purpose to themselves, or making the deed subject to a right-of-way or an easement that is clearly spelled out in the legal description of the property. Neither of these methods was employed before this sale took place; therefore, there was no legal justification to change the boundaries of the parcels.

Until we receive that justification, the parcels will remain as currently configured. The assessor's office does not own this property, nor did we in any way participate in the sale to Ohriner.

Regardless of the unintentional oversight of those involved in this mishap, there is a silver lining. The county is instituting some safeguards to ensure that this does not happen again. The solution is what we should focus on, not finger pointing.

MARK W. SCHOFIELD

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