ORCAS ISLAND REASSESSMENTS

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List of stories about assessments in San Juan County

Assessment cycle may change

posted 08/04/03
Property in San Juan County is reassessed every three years. The county commissioners would like to change the cycle. County Assessor Paul Dossett disagrees. The county can't tell the elected assessor how to do his job, but they do control his budget. The disagreement may result in a four year cycle which neither side favors.

A former employee in the appraiser's office spoke to the BOCC last month and suggested the county change the way it does assessments. Currently the county is divided up into threes. Appraisers go to each property in the county once every three years. The value of the property is updated and the tax bill is adjusted.

State law allows the county to use a six year cycle if the county has an analyst on staff. The county would be divided into six areas. Appraisers would visit the properties once every six years.

Counties that use the six-year cycle break properties into classes. The analyst looks at each class, determines increases in property value and applies that across the board to all properties in the class. The analyst reviews the property values annually.

Commissioner Darcie Nielsen said, "If we went to a six-year cycle, with a real estate market analyst on board, there would be annual incremental changes."

Commissioner John Evans noted the number of appeals to the Board of Equalization after Orcas Island property owners received their assessments last year. He believes the number of appeals would be reduced if there were annual incremental increases rather than a jump every three years.

The six year cycle was discussed during the 2002 election. Dossett opposed the idea. He said it works in areas that have a lot of similar properties. Property in the San Juans varies greatly from parcel to parcel making the idea unworkable here, according to Dossett.

If the county commissioners cut back the Assessor's staff through budget cuts, Dossett will switch to a four-year cycle. At the end of every cycle, assessors are required by the state to submit their plan for the next cycle. Dossett will submit two plans, one for a three-year and one for a four-year cycle.

BOE working its way through petitions

posted 12/11/02
Eighteen down, 247 to go. The Board of Equalization is working its way through 265 petitions filed regarding tax assessments. The board is scheduled to hear 18 appeals this week and will meet again in January and February.

Of the 265 filed, 226 have been reviewed for completeness by the BOE and sent to the assessor’s office for answers. As of December 10:

• 102 still needed to be answered by the assessor’s office
• 92 were answered and returned to the BOE
• 11 had been stipulated or withdrawn by the taxpayer
• 21 were returned to taxpayers as incomplete and had not been returned to BOE completed.

Last year there were 182 petitions after properties on Lopez Island and the southern portion of San Juan Island were reassessed. Properties on Orcas, Waldron, Obstruction, Wasp and Sucia Islands were reassessed in 2002. County Administrative Services Director Dave Zeretske said, "Orcas has historically been a busier place for BOE."

Property owners appeal tax assessments

posted 10/12/02
So far this year, 220 petitions asking for a review of tax assessments have been filed with San Juan County Board of Equalization. The BOE will review the challenges next year. If the challenges are upheld, tax refunds will be sent to the property owner. Last year 182 petitions were filed.

Property is assessed every three years. Orcas, Waldron Obstruction, Wasp and Sucia Islands were reassessed in 2002. County Assessor Paul Dossett said the reassessments reflected the spike in real estate prices on Orcas Island that occurred in 1999. Dossett does not expect as many appeals from San Juan and Lopez island property owners next year.

Orcas tax rate drops 13 percent;
Waldron drops 12.5 percent

posted 09/18/02
With the increased assessed values and the defeat of a new library levy, San Juan County Assessor Paul Dossett estimates the property tax rate for Orcas Island property owners will be $6.85 in 2003 down from the current $7.85 per thousand dollars of assessed value. Waldron Island property owners will pay an estimated $5.25 per per thousand dollars of assessed value instead of the current $6.00.

Property on Orcas, Waldron, Obstruction, Wasp and Sucia islands was reassessed this year (2002). The total assessed value increased 39.2 percent. With new construction excluded the increase was 33.2 percent.

Dossett says taxpayers should multiply the projected tax rate times the assessed value, putting a decimal three places to the left of the assessed value, to determine the projected 2003 tax. He cautions that this figure is an estimate only and is subject to adjustments until the 2003 tax year.

Orcas revaluation increases $484 million

posted 09/12/02
The total assessed value of property on Orcas, Waldron, Obstruction, Wasp and Sucia islands increased almost one half billion dollars in value in the past three years. San Juan County Assessor Paul Dossett said new construction accounted for $75 million dollars of the increase. Statistics are posted in this chart. released detailed figures of this year's reassessment September 11, 2002.

Lopez and south San Juan Island
assessed value exceeds a billion dollars

posted 09/28/01
More than $53 million in new construction boosted the total assessed value for Lopez and south San Juan Island to more than a billion dollars -- $1,186,259,779. Reassessments in the county are done on a three-year cycle. To keep the work load balanced, Lopez Island and the south part of San Juan Island are combined.

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