Plainfield
The town argues in court filings that many of the government’s recently disclosed receipts show charges that either had nothing to do with taking care of the property or were “exorbitant,” including about $40,000 for plowing and sanding the home’s gravel driveway.
The Brown compound sold at auction for $205,000 last October. Although the town estimates it is owed roughly $233,000 in back taxes, the federal government offered only about $30,000, claiming it accrued $190,000 of expenses on the property’s care.
“Numerous expenses shown on the invoices and claimed by the United States are exorbitant, unreasonable and demonstrate a lack of oversight or maintenance of the property,” wrote attorney Barry Schuster, who represents the town.
Much of what the government contends are costs associated with upkeep are actually for other purposes, such as auction supplies and packing the Brown’s personal effects, or are associated with the Browns’ comercial property in Lebanon, Schuster said on Thursday.
A spokesman for the IRS declined to comment on the case when reached on Wednesday.
Town Administrator Stephen Halleran agreed with Schuster, adding that the property was in the government’s hands for too long, unnecessarily adding to the maintenance costs. Other charges, he said, were excessive.
“Who was paying attention to the billing?” he asked, adding that more oversight from the federal government might have been necessary.
Many of the town’s concerns are highlighted in a $40,000 bill from Dan LaPan Services of Plainfield for plowing and sanding the property from 2008 to 2015. The Browns’ driveway is gravel and only required occasional clearing, the town argues. Instead, LaPan was engaged by the government to be there weekly, plowing 87 times and sanding 74 times.
“The cost for each was $200, regardless of the weather or the need to plow or sand,” wrote Schuster.
LaPan did not respond to calls to his business seeking comment.
In an affidavit, Halleran describes contacting area plow companies and inquiring the cost to plow the Browns’ property, three responded and quoted him prices between $80 and $120. They also said sanding would only be necessary if unusual weather caused an ice buildup, but it isn’t usually done on a weekly basis.
Instead of paying the full $40,000, the town is requesting the bill be reduced by $25,700 to better reflect the amount of care they estimate was needed.
Schuster also took issue with moving and storage expenses the government says is associated with the Brown home. About $38,000 was paid to Dartmouth Moving and Storage for packing and moving from the Browns’ Lebanon office building, not the Plainfield house.
Another invoice from Dartmouth Moving and Storage for about $27,000 refers to packing personal property at the Plainfield property, similar to roughly $49,500 in charges from McLaughlin Transportation Systems. But personal items were sold at an auction separate from the home, the town says.
“The cost for the removal of that personal property should be charged to the personal property and not to the Plainfield real property,” Schuster wrote.
A police detail in Nashua and Lebanon, rental fees from the personal property auction and auction supplies should also be excluded from government’s responsibly to take care of the home, Schuster argues.
He asks that a judge award Plainfield with about $156,000 for the back taxes on the property, leaving the federal government with $47,165. Schuster said he expects the government to reply to his arguments in the next few weeks.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.