PORT ANGELES — Clallam County commissioners will ask voters this fall to approve a levy lid lift on their property taxes.
Commissioners voted 2-0 during a special meeting Monday to put a one-year permanent levy lid lift of up to 95 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value on the Nov. 4 ballot.
“What you’re talking about is not moving the county to the maximum,” County Administrator Todd Mielke said. “We are currently at 76 cents. Ten years ago, we were at slightly more than $1.44. The county, under this proposal, would still be well below its maximum.”
The maximum is $1.80 per $1,000 of assessed property value, he said.
“If the voters were to approve a levy lid lift, that buys us substantially more time to think about planning for the next few years and to learn about what other changes are coming down the pipeline,” Commissioner Mark Ozias said. “By going out for a one-year levy lid lift, I believe that gives us the chance to show the voters that we are listening to them, we’re thinking about what additional creative thinking we can do.”
The county will advertise for people to write For and Against statements for the voters’ pamphlet, according to the motion passed by Ozias and Commissioner Randy Johnson. Commissioner Mike French was not present at the meeting.
“It’s important to understand what the impact is to property owners in the region,” Mielke said.
The owner of a $500,000 home, which Mielke said is the mid point, would pay $8 more per month for an annual increase of $95, according to Mielke’s presentation.
“I think 95 cents is a reasonable request,” Ozias said. “I think that does what some of our commenters have noted that we can’t not do something. We need to try to do something that is responsive to the needs of the community. When I look at what 95 cents per $1,000 gets us, what I see is it gets us part but not all of the way there.”
The county is projected to have budget deficits of $3.8 million in 2026, $6.6 million in 2027 and $8.2 million in 2028 if nothing is done, according to Mielke’s presentation.
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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.
