2018-06-25 Update with AssessorAssessor’s Update
June 25, 2018
3:09 p.m.
Present: Commissioner Fund, Commissioner Stamper, Erik Martin, Dianne Dorey, Commissioner Jackson
(3:12 p.m.), RC Cavazos (3:14 p.m.)
Recorder: Rieva Lester
Assessor Dianne Dorey said there are more than 600 permits so far for 2018. She said there were 174 as
of April 1, 2017.
Commissioner Jackson joined at 3:12 p.m.
RC Cavazos joined at 3:14 p.m.
Dianne said she has not yet hired someone for the position the commissioners approved in 2017. She
said the Assessor’s Office is training three appraisers.
Dianne said property values are going up. She discussed levies in Centralia, where property values
decreased but taxes increases.
Dianne discussed new construction values, including the difference between permit values and the
values the Assessor’s Office places on buildings, which is 100 percent of market value. She said the same
set of market data is used for the entire revaluation (reval) area.
Dianne said the county will receive a substantial amount of compensating tax for the windfarm, which is
leasing 10,000 acres. She said portions of the parcels will need to be removed from the Designated
Forest Land program. She said the compensating taxes will be a windfall for the taxing districts in 2019.
She said the state will be assessing the windfarm. She said it will be an increase in state-assessed
utilities.
Dianne said the county may need to have aerial photos of the windfarm taken. She cautioned that
windfarm turbines depreciate quickly.
Dianne said Board of Equalization (BOE) board orders are coming through. She said there were roughly
151 appeals filed in 2017 for 2018, which reflects roughly 151 parcels owned by 90 or so property
owners. She said roughly 50 or so applicants have withdrawn their appeals.
Dianne said the Port of Centralia levy will be active for up to 10 years.
Dianne noted that a weed assessment meeting is planned for later in the week. She said Treasurer Arny
Davis likely will approach it similar to the way the Treasurer’s Office approaches Forest Patrol. She
cautioned that it could cost money to have a vendor set it up.
RC Cavazos and Dianne discussed possibly using ModPro, which helps predict the amount for which
developments will sell.
Meeting adjourned at 3:46 p.m.