Spokane County residents sue over improper taxes

SPOKANE — Residents of Liberty Lake and Spokane Valley are suing Spokane County after they were wrongly taxed to pay for control of noxious weeds.

They filed a civil lawsuit in Spokane County Superior Court this week seeking full refunds. The plaintiffs include the mayor of Liberty Lake, Steve Peterson.

The Spokesman-Review says property owners in Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake were improperly taxed more than $1 million over the past decade for noxious weed enforcement.

Spokane County Risk Manager Steve Bartel said Friday that an outside attorney will review the suit.

The problem was discovered last year. Spokane Valley property owners have been improperly assessed about $95,000 a year, while the amount assessed on Liberty Lake parcels has been about $9,000 a year.

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