Gulp! It's property tax time

[Chief]

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119207134019990.xml&coll=7

Multnomah County - Bills will begin arriving Saturday -- and for many people, they're going to be bigger

Thursday, October 11, 2007ANDY DWORKIN The Oregonian Staff
Multnomah County will start mailing 2007 tax bills to 292,000 property owners Friday, bills with notably higher taxes for many Portland residents.

Property owners in parts of the city served by Portland Public Schools will typically see their tax bills rise nearly 11.4 percent, "a large increase" compared with recent years, Multnomah County Assessor Randy Walruff said.

Much of the increase comes from a five-year tax levy for Portland Public Schools that voters passed last year. That tax partly replaces three levies that expired in 2004, a change that dropped 2005 property tax bills in the Portland Public Schools district by 8.5 percent. Property taxes in that district rose about 4.6 percent in 2006, Walruff said.

**SCHNIPP**

That's two counties now, one to our North and one to our South, that are handing out substantial increases in Property taxes. What will the average increase in Clark County be this year?? Hopefully we will have some indication by Halloween, but nothing is for certain.

Developing...

[Waterbuffalo]

Culd it be an annual increase of 25 percent on property taxes?

[Chief]

God only knows at this point. Frankly, we're nervous about what's probably coming, and I hate to borrow trouble on this, but our Assessor is just arrogant enough to send out 20%+ increases just becasue whe knows the market better than any of us peons ever could. Been there before with her...

[Waterbuffalo]

Do you think the county assessor won the lottery this year?

[Chief]

No, I think there is a master script of how property values in the county have been planned to rise over a given amount of time, and with making those kinds of revenue projections, and I suspect promises and guarantees about home values, Linda franklin is just not going to back down.

I have to believe that the local Gubments of all descriptions are scared to death that the revenue stream might collapse, and a lot of big problems would immediately result if property values in the County suddenly took a dip, or were even perceived as taking a dip. One round of assessment notices that the columbian can report as cutting one group of people's homes in value, and it would set of an avalanche of demands from other homeowners for the same deal. Especially from homeowners out there who are marketing their houses at well above the tax value, looking to cash in, and are likely going to be lowering those sales prices significantly; or as we have seen in the markets lately, simply withdrawing the home from the market because some sellers end up paying money at closing.

The wife and I talk frequently about what could be coming, and we don't want to borrow trouble, but we need to keep our eyes open. The last one hurt, and I am not looking forward to another go-round with the Assessor's Office. If I do though, you'll know about it...

[Waterbuffalo]

Well f you have another go arround with the assessor and have to appeal it, I do believe it will be time for you and the wife to consider that this might be the time to move out of Clark County. A lot of Bellingham construction and farm workers come down here to Vancouver and Portland area to build hhomes for people.

if this area suffers from a lack of demand, its not just going to hit Clark County, it will hit other areas of the state as well. With the lack of cash coming in, the local party in charge will have to find a way to pay for all of their past couple years of pet projects. Meaning that there might be changes coming to a state office department of some thing nearest you.

[Waterbuffalo]

Update Chief?

[Chief]

Not until the tax rates are issued early next year...

[Waterbuffalo]

There is no new news on the Property tax debate? Or are we still yoked with CRC TF stuff until after January?