Drop in values won't trim property tax

Property: Many may see higher bill despite lower assessments

CHRISTIAN HILL; Staff writer | • Published January 29, 2010

0 comments

Tax notices arriving in property owners' mailboxes early next month may provide an unwelcome surprise for those expecting a decrease in their tax bill after seeing a drop in their property assessment.

The total assessed value of real property in Thurston County dropped by more than $1 billion last year, but that doesn’t translate into tax relief for all property owners.

Government continues to collect more in taxes. Whether a property owner bears more or less of that tax obligation depends on the valuation of his or her land as it relates to the value of neighboring parcels. If the value of your property is decreasing slower than the neighboring parcels, your property taxes will go up, and vice versa.

County officials said it’s the first time in many years the county’s total assessed value has fallen.

Of the 118,000 individual parcels in the county, about half will see a tax increase with the remaining owners seeing a tax decrease, according to the treasurer’s office.

Thurston County Treasurer Robin Hunt, girding for a flood of phone calls to her office, is asking residents to exercise patience if they want answers about their individual tax bill on the phone or in person.

“It’s been a long time since values decreased,” she said in a news release. “People have forgotten why when values go down, their tax bill still increases. My staff will have to do a quick re-education process as customers call and stop by.”

The treasurer’s office is expected to collect $303 million in property taxes for the year, an $8 million, or 2.6 percent, increase compared with 2009. That’s less than the 7 percent average increase in total property taxes collected during the past four years.

Some taxpayers might see a higher bill due to voter-approved levies or bonds. Voter-approved measures account for about 40 percent of property taxes in recent years.

The tax notices also include assessments for organizations that manage lakes, stormwater and noxious weeds that have nothing to do with property values. The treasurer’s office expects to collect $5.5 million for these organizations this year, a 17 percent increase from 2009.

A state law allows citizens to pay their taxes once the amounts are known or shared. Taxes can be paid through the county treasurer’s Web site or in person by visiting the treasurer’s office in Building 1 at the Thurston County Courthouse, 2000 Lakeridge Drive S.W., between the hours of 9 a.m. and noon, and 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. There is no fee associated with an electronic transaction.

For property owners who don’t pay in full, the first half of their tax payment is due April 30; the second half is due Oct. 31. Interest and penalties apply for property owners who miss the deadlines.

Residents can find out how much they owe at the Thurston County treasurer’s Web site, www.co.thurston.wa.us/treasurer.

The office will mail tax notices Feb. 8.

Anyone who has not received a tax notice by the end of February should call the treasurer’s office at 360-786-5550.

Christian Hill: 360-754-5427

chill@theolympian.com

Similar stories:

County faces backlog of property tax appeals
County faces backlog of property tax appeals

Hundreds of taxpayers have been forced to wait at least 16 months for their property tax appeals to be heard because of a significant increase in the number of challenges and inadequate staffing to handle them.
The Thurston County Board of Equalization, which hears and decides these appeals, has begun to chip away at the backlog since the county commission approved additional funding and staff time. The commission’s action came after complaints by property owners prompted state officials to express their own concern late last summer.
But the additional resources will run out at year’s end, and the board expects to have cleared only appeals from the 2008 assessment year by then.
More behind on property taxes
More behind on property taxes

The number of property owners who were delinquent paying their property taxes rose 30 percent in the past year, acccording to delinquency notices filed this month in Superior Court.
There were 104 delinquent property owners in June.
The county filings, known as certificates of delinquency, are filed every June for property owners who have been delinquent for three years – in this case, property owners who didn’t pay their property taxes in 2007. Foreclosure proceedings on unpaid property taxes start three years after the delinquency begins, said Steve Larson, treasury systems manager for the county.
County can tax Great Wolf Lodge
County can tax Great Wolf Lodge

Thurston County can assess and collect property taxes on Great Wolf Lodge, a federal judge ruled Friday in a decision that could have ramifications for future joint development projects between tribes and nontribal companies.
The 15-page decision by U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle dismisses a lawsuit filed by the Chehalis Indian Tribe to stop efforts by the county to tax it. The tribe holds a 51 percent interest in the joint venture that owns the hotel and indoor water park.
Settle concluded that the state’s interest in taxing the improvements outweighs the federal and tribal interest in pre-empting such taxation in Indian Country.
Drew is the better candidate for Thurston County assessor
Drew is the better candidate for Thurston County assessor

The Thurston County Assessor’s Office is in for substantive changes with the retirement of Assessor Patricia Costello, who has had 12 years at the helm.
The vacancy drew four candidates — two internal contenders and two outsiders. The August primary election narrowed the election to two candidates — both outsiders.
Democrat Steve Drew, 50, is an independent property claims adjuster. Republican Glen Morgan, 39, is a business consultant. Both candidates say the county office is in desperate need of wholesale changes to ensure that private and commercial property are appraised at fair market value, and both men agree that a priority is eliminating the backlog of property appeals.
Tribal tax fight to continue
Tribal tax fight to continue

The Chehalis Tribes' 4,200-acre reservation in Thurston and Grays Harbor counties is a little bit larger after the Bureau of Indian Affairs approved a 213-acre expansion of the property this month.
The decision, which the tribe sought almost a year ago, changes the legal status of eight parcels, four each in Thurston and Grays Harbor County, from off-reservation trust land to on-reservation trust land. It means Great Wolf Lodge now is part of on-reservation trust land. But the new designation likely won’t affect a lawsuit over tax payments, Thurston County Assessor Patricia Costello said.
The lawsuit involves Thurston County and CTGW LLC, a company formed by the tribe and Great Wolf Resorts, joint owners of the lodge. The company sued the county after Costello included the resort buildings on the county’s property-tax rolls.