and those parcels located outside of the four incorporated areas in the county are subject to the county Road Levy (shown as ROAD on tax statements).

The four incorporated areas in Pacific County are Ilwaco, Long Beach, Raymond and South Bend. Properties in these cities are subject to a City General Levy (shown as CITY on your tax statements) in addition to the County Current Expense Levy but are not subject to the County Road Levy or a Fire District as the Cities provide those services from their levies.

All four cities; as with all other regular taxing districts, may only levy a maximum of 1 percent plus any new construction amounts over that city’s previous year’s levy. 

Public meetings approving the budgets and the amounts to be levied by each city will be held in October and November annually. Levy increases are not automatic and must match the budget and the resolutions approved by the councils. The cities are not obliged to take the maximum allowed and some years they have not levied the maximum.

Regular taxing districts are not only limited by the previous amounts levied but also by statutory maximums individually and collectively. As stated in RCW 84.52.043 cities are limited to a statutory maximum of $3.375 per thousand of assessed value.

If the city has a firemen’s pension fund, as Raymond does, they can add another $0.225 per thousand for a total of $3.60. If a city is annexed to a library district, as Ilwaco, Long Beach and South Bend are, its statutory maximum is $3.60 minus the library levy amount.

The 2013 levy rate for Timberland Regional Library is $0.415027, which made the 2013 statutory limit for those three cities $3.184973 per thousand. Raymond is not annexed into the Timberland Regional Library district but pays what would be collected out of its city general fund.

Also per RCW 84.52.043(2) the aggregate levies of junior taxing districts and senior taxing districts, other than the state, may not exceed five dollars and ninety cents per thousand dollars of assessed valuation. The term "junior taxing districts" includes all taxing districts other than the state, counties, road districts, cities, towns, port districts, and public utility districts. If the aggregate is over $5.90 thendistricts’ levies must be pro rated or decreased until the aggregate is below $5.90 per thousand.

The following are the levy amounts for the 2013 tax year expressed as both the total amount levied and the levy rate per thousand dollars of valuation:

Ilwaco:          $201,416          $1.723327

Long Beach:          $568,090          $2.119759

Raymond:          $441.619          $3.155667

South Bend:          $216,566          $2.691937

If you have any questions about levies, errors in either Mapsifter, Taxsifter or anything else regarding the assessor’s office, please visit us at the Pacific County Courthouse Mon-Fri 8-4:30 or the South County annex Wed 9-noon, or call me at 875-9301, 642-9301, 484-7368, or 267-8368.

Editor’s Note:This article first appeared on www.hometowndebate.com 10/8/13. If you would like to respond to this story go to hometowndebate.com