Hospital District 3 is the Biggest Loser in the 2015 Tax Year

The way the Washington property tax system is set up there is a one year lag in assessments and taxes, so the assessed values used to compute your tax amounts for 2015 are based on sales which occurred prior to Jan 1, 2014 and not current sales or listings. The values are the same ones you received on your reval statements we sent last September.

The amounts levied by each district; with a few exceptions, have increased by a little over 1% since 2014. Fire District 1 regular and EMS levies decreased from last year because they are at their statutory maximums of $1.50 per thousand of assessed value for the regular levy and $.50 per thousand for the EMS levy. Since the total assessed value of that district went down the total levy decreased. Pacific County EMS No. 1 covering most of north Pacific County also is up to their $.50 statutory maximum and went down about $1,400 total.

Due to these statutory limits, Fire 1 regular levy is around $9,000 less than its highest levy and Fire 1 EMS levy is approximately $137,000 less than its highest levy of $667,922 in 2011. Pacific County EMS is around $10,000 less than its highest in 2013.

Hospital District 3, which covers the south county, is the biggest loser in the 2015 tax year. Since the total of all the rates of all the regular taxing districts in a district cannot exceed $5.90 per thousand of valuation, Hospital 3 was lowered or pro-rationed $218,105 from its 2014 levy amount and $238,007 below its highest lawful levy.

Overall, the total amount of property tax levied by the various districts total $30,981,102.89 in 2015. For 2014, the total was $30,076,829.43, for an increase of $904,273.46. Most of that increase was due to the Black Lake Capital Project for Ocean Beach School Dist. 101, which started this year. That amount is $916,666 for 2015.

All the levy amounts, district amounts, including increases and decreases and the levy rates for each tax code area, can be found on the county's web site at www.co.pacific.wa.us under 2015 LEVY BOOK.

Remember, that if you were 61 years of age or permanently disabled and make less than $35,000 a year in gross income and your property is your primary residence, you may qualify for a Senior Exemption. Contact us for specific information if you think you or someone you know may qualify.

If you have any questions about the Senior Exemption program, this article or any other property tax issues, or see a correction needed on our Taxsifter or Mapsifter websites, please contact us at 875- 9301, 642-9301, 484-7301 or 267-8301.