Appraiser gives heads up to community

To The Eagle:

The Wahkiakum County Assessor’s Office will be out, as always, doing the annual revaluation inspections of properties. The county is divided into four areas. We will begin the inspections in Area 3 over the next few weeks.

Area 3 includes all properties on the west side of KM to the western edge of the county. As we begin this inspection season, we wanted to remind property owners of what is entailed in an annual revaluation inspection.

The state of Washington requires us, here in Wahkiakum County, to physically inspect properties once every four years. The inspection includes what you might expect for an appraisal. We are there to note the features of your property, including view, acreage, frontage, etc. Then we move on to the residence and any outbuildings. We measure and photograph all buildings and make notes on the quality of construction and condition. Measuring structures requires us to be up against them, which is routine for any appraiser.

When we come to your property we will knock on your door first. If there is no answer we will leave a door hanger on your door, letting you know that we were there. Should we require any information from you, that will be noted on the door hanger. We will, however, complete the appraisal inspection as usual.

Michael Dahle is our chief appraiser. Michael, along with Drew Jenkins and the Assessor, Bill Coons, will be out in the field over the next several months. All three of us are accredited appraisers for the state of Washington. We are happy to talk to you when we are out inspecting and invite you to feel free to ask us questions, should you have any, when we are on your property.

Everyone benefits when the tax burden is distributed fairly. A full inspection of each property provides for equitable distribution of taxes throughout Wahkiakum County.

We look forward to the inspection season and we thank you in advance for your cooperation in allowing us to complete our work in a timely fashion.

Bill Coons

Wahkiakum County Assessor

[Editor's note: For people new to this area, KM stands for KM Mountain, which stands between Grays River and Skamokawa.]