The INDEPENDENT, November 2, 2011
Page 13
County explains 2011 property taxes Lap warmers now on special at
Approximately 188,000 pro-
perty tax statements will be
mailed to Washington County
property owners by October
25. In the weeks that follow,
staff in the County’s Depart-
ment of Assessment & Taxation
will assist the public with a vari-
ety of inquiries, including how
property tax bills are deter-
mined, what local services are
paid for and what the options
are for an appeal.
Property Taxes in Oregon
pay for local services. This year
the average property tax dollar
in Washington County breaks
down in the following manner:
• 18 cents for County gov-
ernment services (Public safe-
ty, road improvements, libra-
ries, elections, public health,
etc.)
• 32 cents for neighborhood
services provided by cities and
special districts (police, fire
protection, parks and water, Ur-
ban Road Maintenance Dis-
trict, Enhanced Sheriff's Patrol
District and Urban Renewal
Projects)
• 47 cents for Education (K-
12, Portland Community Col-
lege, Education Service Dis-
trict)
• 3 cents for Regional Ser-
vices provided by Metro, Tri-
Met and Port of Portland.
Tax statements reflect the
amount of tax paid to each tax-
ing district that provides service
in the area where the property
is located. Tax rates vary based
on the unique mix of taxing dis-
tricts in a given location called
a tax code area. There are 279
separate tax code areas in
Washington County this year.
This year’s property tax
statements account for a total
of $801 million, which will pay
for the services mentioned
above. These services are pro-
vided by 49 local taxing dis-
tricts (cities, county, special
districts, schools, regional gov-
ernments) throughout the
County. This is an increase of
about 2.28 percent or $17.9
million compared to last year.
The increase in taxes is due to
several factors, including the 3
percent increase in assessed
value on most properties, addi-
tional value from new construc-
tion activity and new or in-
creased taxing district levies.
The most common question
taxpayers have is, “Why did my
taxes go up when my market
value went down?”
In most cases your tax state-
ment includes two values: the
Real Market Value and As-
sessed Value (which is used to
calculate your tax bill).
The Real Market Value rep-
resents the market value of
your property as of the assess-
ment date of January 1, 2011.
It is important to understand
that your property taxes are
based on your Assessed Value,
not market value. Therefore, a
decline in the market value
does not automatically reduce
your property taxes.
Another reason why your tax
bill may have increased is be-
cause the tax bill is calculated
taking “Assessed Value times a
rate.” As voters approve tax
measures the tax rate increas-
es and then the tax bill increas-
Main Street Pizza
680 S. Main
Oak Village Shopping Center
Banks, Oregon
503-324-5858
Bonnie L. Hays Animal Shelter
es.
For more information, refer
to Publications / A&T Brochure
on our website or call 503-846-
8826.
There are new Levies or
Bonds approved or reautho-
rized by the voters that will be
reflected in this year’s tax bill.
The majority of taxpayers, ap-
proximately 156,000 accounts,
will receive tax statements that
have increased when com-
pared with last year. Approxi-
mately 149,000 accounts will
have tax increases between 0
and 5 percent, and 7,000 ac-
counts increase over 5 percent.
Additionally,
approximately
26,000 taxpayer accounts will
reflect a tax decrease. The ma-
jority of these reductions are
due primarily to local option
levies expiring, compression,
or the taxing districts levying a
lesser amount.
Brrrr…the weather is getting
chilly! It’s time to sit next to the
fire and sip hot chocolate. Or
better yet, adopt a lap warmer.
Cats and kittens are on special
through November 18 at the
Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal
Shelter in Hillsboro.
“If you think that it’s too late
in the year to adopt a cuddly lit-
tle kitten, you’re in for a happy
surprise,” says Deborah Wood,
manager of Animal Services for
Washington County.
“The last two years we’ve
had extremely long kitten sea-
sons. We just keep getting kit-
tens…and kittens…and kit-
tens…and kittens. We have a
lot of warm, furry lap warmers
looking for great homes,” says
Wood.
For those who prefer a gor-
geous adult cat, the shelter is
bursting at the seams with
choices. “Long-haired, short-
haired, active, mellow, male,
female – take your pick,” says
Wood.
The summer kitten season
adoption prices are still in ef-
fect. “Adult cats are only $10.
Kittens are $80 for the first kit-
ten, half-off for a second kit-
ten,” says Wood.
Values and Appeals
The tax statement includes
a section on current and prior-
year values. Taxpayers con-
cerned that their Assessed Val-
ue or Real Market Value is too
high should call the Appraisal
Division at 503-846-8826 to
discuss the basis for their prop-
erty’s appraisal.
See Property on page 14
All cats are spayed or
neutered, microchipped, up-to-
date on shots, and test nega-
tive for major cat diseases (FIV
and FeLV). Washington County
area veterinarians will provide
a free introductory check-up for
pets adopted from the shelter,
as well. “The total value of
these services is about $250,”
says Wood.
Adoption hours are 11:00
a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays,
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays,
and Saturdays and from noon
to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.
The shelter is closed on Sun-
days. It is located at 1901 SE
24th Avenue in Hillsboro, just in
front of Lowe’s on Tualatin Val-
ley Highway. The phone num-
ber is 503-846-7041.
Kitten Food Donations Wel-
come: “All our animals are fed
by donations from our gener-
ous community,” says Wood.
“We aren’t in a crisis yet, but
donations of kitten food would
help to make sure the cup-
boards stay full.”
To see adoptable animals
and learn more about the shel-
ter: www.WashingtonCounty
Pets.com.
WANT SOMETHING DEPENDABLE?
WE HAVE IT!
Buy a Stihl MS 290 Chain Saw and
get a Stihl Carrying Case for Free*.
MS 290, our most popular model.
Designed for rugged farm use.
Power through outdoor clutter with
the BG 55 STIHL HomeScaper Series™
handheld blower. This gas leaf blower
quickly clears leaves and grass clip-
pings from driveways and sidewalks.
*$39. 95 value. Offer ends Nov. 12.
Receive $2 off
any large Pizza.
$ 2 Off
00
Expires 11-30-11. Coupons cannot be sold or duplicated.
Main Street Pizza
680 S. Main
Oak Village Shopping Center
Banks, Oregon
503-324-5858
Receive $1 off
any medium Pizza.
$1 Off
00
Expires 11-30-11. Coupons cannot be sold or duplicated.
Stihl BG 55
$
Handheld Blower
Stihl MS 290 Chain Saw
95
149
Electric Blowers starting at $99
with 20” bar
95
PRECISION OUTD OOR
POWER EQUIPMENT
Banks Hardware
503-324-5221 • 150 N. Main St., Banks
$
399 95
• Mon - Fri 8am to 6pm
• Saturday 8am to 5pm
• Sunday 10am to 4pm