West Mojave Plan FEIR/S - Desert Managers Group

3.4.1.5 Study Area Property ValuationProperty valuation throughout the West Mojave represents an important consideration inrelation to the HCP program. The assessed value of West Mojave property largely determinesthe amount of property tax revenue appropriated to each of the eleven West Mojave cities andfour county governments in order to provide necessary public services (police, fire, health &safety, cultural and community, etc.). The assessed value of property within selected portions ofthe West Mojave, namely the Habitat Conservation Areas (HCA’s), also determines themitigation fee that would be imposed within the HCP compensation framework for AllowableGround Disturbance (AGD) and incidental taking permits needed to facilitate futuredevelopment and generate funds to acquire additional habitat area. These two areas ofconsideration are important for the following reasons. As the HCP is implemented and privatelyowned property in the HCA’s is purchased and removed from the tax rolls, affected City andCounty governments will need to forego corresponding property tax revenue used to supportpublic service responsibilities. The HCP mitigation fee establishes a definitive expense that thatmust be shouldered by site-specific development in order to eliminate case-by-case costuncertainties associated with enforcement of current endangered species regulations (CESA andFESA). The following discussion is supplemented by additional exhibits and discussion in theSocio-Economic Analysis (Appendix N to this FEIR/S).3.4.1.5.1 Subarea ValuationProperty tax revenue-generating potential within a given jurisdiction is largely limited tothe assessed value of private property, since government owned land is exempt from directpayment of property tax. Although the four-County region of the West Mojave encompassesmore than 9.0 million acres, the vast majority of land area reflects government owned land asillustrated below:WEMO LAND OWNERSHIP MIXMilitary29%BLMManaged36%State1%PrivateProperty32%MiscFederal,Local, Etc.2%Chapter 3 3-207