Assessor's Blog
Reval Correction for those with 2010 New Construction - Posted at: 7/7/2010 11:58:47 AM
For those that had New Construction value added to their parcel in the 2009 assessment for 2010 tax year, your reval notice may not reflect the additional value.
To confirm your 2009 assessment (for 2010 tax year), please visit PATS and enter your parcel number.
Should you need to contact the Lewis County Assessor's Office at 360.740.1392
2010 Assessments for 2011 Tax Year Reval Notices Mailed - Posted at: 7/7/2010 11:13:52 AM
Lewis County Assessor, Dianne Dorey, announced approximately 9,000 revaluation notices for assessment year 2010 and tax year 2011 are at the Post Office and should start hitting mail boxes this week. A few taxpayers might have received theirs on July 3rd in post office boxes.
The current revaluation area encompasses Centralia and Pe Ell school districts. The value changes show a change over a four year period. When the housing boom in Lewis County occurred, it was after these values were established four years ago. Some parcels may see an increase because it is based off a four year old value. Flooding in the Pe Ell and Centralia school districts slowed increases in some areas. The economy accounted for the rest of the value changes. Normally, over a four year period for the last 20 years, it has not been uncommon to see more than 5% increases per year in assessed values. On the average, there has been a less than 5% increase over the last four years with the recent value notices.
This is the last four year revaluation cycle for the Lewis County Assessor’s Office. In 2009, the Legislature passed a law requiring all counties to be annual by the year 2014. For 2011 assessment for 2012 tax year, the values will be on an annual revaluation cycle. This means 1/6 of the county will be physically inspected and the other 5/6 of the county will be valued statistically based upon market values in those areas. The Chehalis School District will be the first area physically inspected and valued and all other districts in the county will be valued statistically.
The new values for 2011 tax year appear on PATS on the Lewis County website. Parcels that did not have a value change from 2010 to 2011 tax year, will not receive a notice but will be able to check their values online. There were about 7,200 parcels without a value changes by area.
Below are the average value changes by area:
| SD | 2010 | 2011 | % of Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centralia | $1,694,663,034 | $1,760,100,687 | 3.86% |
| Pe Ell | $118,500,298 | $134,273,855 | 13.31% |
| Rochester | $21,562,363 | $22,123,075 | 2.60% |
| Oakville | $5,991,285 | $6,377,184 | 6.44% |
| Overall Reval Change | $1,840,716,980 | $1,922,874,801 | 4.46% |
| - | - | - | - |
| Overall County Change | $6,727,726,942 | $6,815,973,643 | 1.31% |
Please contact the Lewis County Assessor’s Office at 1.360.740.1392 and ask to speak to the appraiser that valued your property if you have questions about your value.
After speaking to an appraiser, you may contact the Lewis County Board of Equalization at 1.360.740.1120 if you wish to appeal your value. You may appeal your value until August 6, 2010.
2010 Levy Information - Posted at: 2/11/2010 11:04:34 AM
Available now on the Lewis County Assessor's web page is the information containing all general Levy information. You will be able to locate all levy data pertaining to the Levy Rate by District and TCA, the total dollars levied by each district, total taxable value by Taxing District, Timber Assessed Values, listing of Taxing District in a specific TCA along with their contact information, and the 2010 Tax Summary.
To locate this information, go to Property Tax Levy Information.
Situs Address Clairfication for former Vader School District - Posted at: 7/31/2009 10:50:25 AM
County wide, situs addresses are listed by what school district the property is located in.
Therefore, when the Vader School District dissolved and service was then provided by the Castle Rock School District, all Vader situs addresses were updated to reflect as Castle Rock.
This does not mean that you live in Castle Rock, just that the taxes that are paid by that parcel are remitted to the Castle Rock School District.
Process to appeal property valuations - Posted at: 7/29/2009 12:06:13 PM
Property owners that received a property valuation mailed out for the 2010 tax year have the right to appeal their new assessed value to the Lewis County Board of Equalization.
The process to appeal the new property valuation is handled in the Lewis County Commissioner's office. Please read thoroughly the information located on the Lewis County Commissioner's website regarding filing an petition, preparing for an appeal, and after filing a petition. More information is available on the Department of Revenue's website at http://dor.wa.gov/docs/pubs/prop_tax/appealprop.pdf.
Appeal forms are located on the Department of Revenues website. They are labeled Taxpayer Petition to the County Board of Equalization for Review of Real Property Valuation Determination. Complete the form and return it to the Lewis County Commissioner's Office.
Should you have any further queistions, contact the Clerk of the Board of Equalization at 360-740-1120.
Revaluation Notices Reveal New Property Values for 2010 Tax Year - Posted at: 7/28/2009 2:56:47 PM
The Lewis County real estate market has shown a decline in the last year, however, an overall increase will be shown in the reval notices being mailed to those living in the White Pass, Eatonville, Morton and Castle Rock (formerly Vader) School Districts. White Pass, Eatonville and Morton School Districts had a 25% overall increase in assessed value and Castle Rock School District has shown a 15% overall increase. Values have not changed in those areas since it was last reappraised four years ago other than those with new construction.
The increases will be reflected in revaluation notices being mailed to Lewis County property owners on Thursday, July 23, 2009. Most notably, land prices in Lewis County have increased by the largest percentage over residential and commercial property.
The notices will identify new value assessments for taxes payable in 2010. The assessed value of real property countywide is $7.4 billion as of January 1, 2009. The White Pass, Eatonville, Morton and Castle Rock school districts were revalued as part of the current four year revaluation cycle. The Washington State Constitution requires Lewis County to be valued at 100% market value at least every four years.
The rumor is if your value changes by a certain percentage, so will your taxes. Not so, since the State of Washington has a 1% cap on budgets through Referendum 47. Taxes that require a vote of the people are exempt from the 1% levy limitation. White Pass School District passed a bond measure that will be reflected on the 2010 tax bill. Approximately 65 taxing districts in Lewis County submit budgets to determine the
amount of tax you will pay in 2010.
Property owners can find assessment information online at www.lewiscountywa.gov. By selecting PATS, they can research data on property and land values, building Characteristics and sales. If you need more information on how to search the site, please call the Assessor’s Office at (360) 740-1392.
Property appeals must be filed with the Board of Equalization by August 26, 2009. Information regarding the appeal process can be obtained from the Clerk of the Board at (360) 740-1120. Taxpayers are encouraged to speak with an Appraiser prior to filing Board of Equalization petitions.