Resident Dave Stickler’s Monday appearance before the Haines Borough Board of Equalization slashed $146,200 from the assessed value of a 25 Mile Haines Highway property intended for use as a gravel pit.

Assessor Mike Renfro earlier recommended a valuation of $185,800 for the 19.8 acres.

Members of the Haines Borough Assembly acting as the Board of Equalization to consider property tax appeals voted 5-0 for a valuation of $39,600, or $2,000 an acre. Member Joanne Waterman was absent.

Stickler’s appeal was one of 44 Renfro examined for the upcoming fiscal year. Renfro said 32 of those appeals led to decreased values, two values went up and 10 stayed the same.

Jila Stuart, borough chief fiscal officer, said the borough’s total assessed valuation dropped $988,120 over the course of the appeals, from a starting point of $286,251,460 when notices were sent.

Stickler said his property is in a floodplain, and a portion of the land previously was used as a gravel pit. He said an assessed valuation of $1,500 to $2,000 per acre would be in line with other gravel pits in the borough.

Stickler bought the property from the University of Alaska last May for $195,570. He told the board the property was “an investment, not a windfall for the borough.”

“I bought it as an investment, so that I could supply gravel to our concrete company, eventually, thinking that I wasn’t going to get fleeced this much with taxes when I compare it to other gravel pits,” Stickler said.

Renfro said he had to assess the Stickler property based on its actual use, with four separate lots that could be developed for a general purpose.

“His intended use, someplace in the future, is to be a gravel pit,” Renfro said. “It’s not a gravel pit right now.”

Renfro said he didn’t doubt Stickler’s plans for a gravel pit, but he was concerned other property owners might argue “my intended use is a gravel pit” to lower their property taxes.

“What does it take to develop it so that the intent is proven?” asked member Daymond Hoffman. “Is it a situation of ‘go park the dump truck up there, get a load of gravel’ and then it becomes that?”

Member Steve Vick suggested assessing a portion of the property as a gravel pit due to its historical use. Assemblyman Greg Goodman said he was confident Stickler would use the entire property as a gravel pit, and member Jerry Lapp said he didn’t think the assembly would set a precedent by cutting the assessed valuation.

“They should have to have a reason to have a gravel pit,” Lapp said.

Four other appeals listed on the board agenda were settled before the meeting. The board on Monday dismissed an appeal from resident Paul Nelson of Acme Transfer and Bigfoot Auto Service because Nelson failed to submit detailed reasons for the appeal. Nelson did not attend Monday’s meeting, which lasted less than an hour.