News Release
February 14, 2007

PROPERTY TAX STATEMENTS OUT THIS WEEK

With tax statements coming out of the Treasurer’s office this week, it is appropriate to remind Kitsap County property taxpayers that some sizable tax increases were approved by voters in 2006.  Additionally several taxing jurisdictions have used their own authority to increase their 2007 property tax revenue above the normal 1% limit to increases.

In 2006 voters favored both the Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue and the South Kitsap Fire & Rescue Districts by approving lid lift ballot measures.  CKFR will see an increase of 57% in their regular levy collections while SKFR will collect 30% more in 2007 than last year.

School Districts also fared well.  Voters on Bainbridge Island approved a Capital Facility Bond and a Technology Levy that results in a 63% increase from what was collected for similar purposes in 2006.  Higher than normal increases of 15% is levied against properties in both Bremerton and Central Kitsap School Districts as a result of the election held a year ago on February 7, 2006.

City of Port Orchard council members and the Port of Illahee commissioners raised their property tax levy by 18% and 38% respectively by tapping into previously unused levy capacity.  There is very little of this so-called banked capacity remaining in any district.  With a routine 1% limit to annual property tax growth there has been little opportunity for districts to accumulate banked capacity since the implementation of I-747 in 2002.

The largest levy increase this year will be seen by taxpayers within the Port of Bremerton boundaries.  Port of Bremerton commissioners have formed a new Industrial Development District (IDD) encompassing the same boundaries as the original port district.  With this new district comes an all new levy, which will start out at a rate 45 cents per thousand of assessed value.  When added to the 30 cents per thousand regular port levy this will cause most taxpayers in the Port of Bremerton to pay the Port about 150% more in 2007 than they did in 2006.  According to the port’s comprehensive plan most of the new $4.5M revenue collected annually for at least the next six years will be used to pay for the expansion of the port’s marina in Bremerton.

Taxpayers should look closely at their tax bills.  The Treasurer includes what was paid last year to each taxing district along with what is owed this year.  If applicable, the increases mentioned above will be very apparent.