Assessor, commissioners work on tax issues

Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday adopted an ordinance setting tax levies for 2012 and worked on other items business with Assessor Bill Coons.

Coons said that because of several factors, the chief of which is a reduction in the state levy, that the county's overall levy will be down about $39,000 this year.

Overall, however, the county's real property ratio is at 111 percent, which means some property is over valued.

"That's because we aren't on an annual valuation," he said. "If we had annual valuation, we could adjust to the market."

The county is on a four-year assessment cycle, and some properties are paying taxes based on assessments made when the real estate market was high.

Commissioners passed a resolution amending the county's provisions for use of the Real Estate Excise Tax (REET).

State law provides for the collection of a $5 fee for each recorded document, with the funds dedicated for specific uses. The resolution allows the use of the funds for development implementation and maintenance of an electronic processing reporting system for real estate excise tax affidavits.

Coons plans to use the funds to hire a clerk to input data into the new data base used for the county's property taxes.

Having all data entered in the program is one of the necessary parts of moving to an annual valuation, he has said.

"I owe you a job description (for the position," Coons told the board of commissioners. "That needs to happen."

County officials have reported problems with the new program, and the commissioners balked at making a final payment of $14,000 to the software provider, LPS/True Automation.

Instead, they instructed Clerk of the Board Marsha LaFarge to draft a letter to LPS/True Automation notifying them of the dissatisfaction.

Coons described one problem. He had calculated the tax role for the county and locked in the figure. When accessed in the county treasurer's office, however, the figure was off by several hundred dollars.

"I have said I wouldn't sign off until our board had it in writing from the assessor and the treasurer that they were satisfied with the program," said Commissioner Lisa Marsyla. "Are you satisfied?"

"No," Coons replied.

And so Marsyla asked that the letter be written to LPS/True Automation.