Budget-based, not reality-based

As a homeowner in Snohomish County, I was concerned about how quickly assessed values of property increased from 2000-2008. Reason? Higher property taxes. Then with the dramatic downturn in the economy, which has still not recovered, I was concerned that the assessor’s office was not adjusting down the values to correspond with the actual real estate market. Reason? High property taxes. As a real estate agent for over 25 years, I know property values and have access to the sales statistics to back up my case.

I contacted the assessor’s office to discuss these issues and to specifically ask why, when I had presented them with sales evidence that my property value should be less, what they said to me was quite telling. They said if we lower your assessed value we would have to raise the value on another taxpayer’s home. I asked why would that be?

They said because the assessments are budget-based.

So in plain English, the Snohomish County politicians first create the budget they want, then have the assessor’s office manufacture the assessed values on property so they can collect the taxes needed to fund that budget. As opposed to providing an honest assessment, collecting taxes based on that value and then creating a budget based on the money collected.

Kevin Hunt

Monroe