Enumclaw Property Values Continue Decline for 2012, Taxes Down Too

Property values in Enumclaw continued on a decrease for 2012, with median assessed value now at $207,000 which is down from $226,000 last year, said King County Assessor Lloyd Hara.

Values are set on Jan. 1 of each year, Hara said.

As city residents begin to pay into the new Fire District No. 28 this year, which set its levy at $1.09 per $1,000 assessed value, their tax rate increased from $11.49 per $1,000 to $12.18 per $1,000. The city also -- though the figure Hara provided was actually 83 cents per $1,000.

The net impact is an average decrease in property taxes for residents by $75. A homeowner whose home is valued at $207,000 this year is expected to pay $2,521.26 in property taxes. With the figures from last year ($226,000 valuation at a $11.49 tax rate), they would have paid $2,596.74.

In addition to the fire district and city levies, city residents are also paying the following district levies that make up the $12.18 figure:

This was news that Hara provided during a seminar at the Senior Center Wednesday about property tax exemptions for seniors. Property assessments are expected to be sent out on Feb. 14, he said.

Roughly half a dozen seniors who attended filled out applications for the exemption, he said. "It can save them quite a bit of money," he said.

If you are a senior citizen or disabled you qualify for an exemption if:

• you have a total annual income of $35,000 or less
• Own and occupy a house, mobile home, condo or co-op as principle residence as of December 31 of the year prior to the year of application
• you are 61 years of age of older or
• you are retired because of physical disability or
• you are a widow or widower at least 57 years of age whose spouse had an exemption at the time of death

Part of the savings comes from your home being exempt from all excess and special levies, which are in addition to regular levies and require voter approval, according to the Assessor's office. For Enumclaw this year, while the tax rate is $12.18 per $1,000 assessed value, someone who qualifies for the exemption would only be taxed at $6.80 per $1,000 assessed value.

For more information about the exemption program, visit the King County Assessor's Website or call 206-296-7300.