The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

Wahkiakum County officials took steps Tuesday to clean up some issues concerning their 2013 budgets and tax levies.

Auditor Diane Tischer had informed the board during the week that the 2013 Current Expense Fund budget approved last week was actually $42,975 short because of changes in property taxes.

Assessor Bill Coons also reported that as outlined, the budget would short the County Road Levy about $100,000.

Coons explained that the total county levy would be for $1,006,004, up from $998,604 this year because of new construction. Otherwise, commissioners passed resolutions stating there would be no increase in the tax rate.

Commissioners have shifted $200,000 of the County Road Levy to the Current Expense Fund, but the amount listed as revenue in the County Road budget was short $100,000 of what would be collected, Coons said.

Commissioners agreed they would change the amount in the final printed budget to include the $100,000 in the road levy.

They also agreed to increase the anticipated forest excise tax revenue line to balance the shortfall which Tischer identified.

Coons reported that even though commissioners didn't increase tax rates, taxpayers could very well see an increase in their tax bills.

Property values have declined, he said, so it takes a higher tax rate to collect the amounts set in levies.

The rate for the county levy this year has been $2.40 per $1,000 of assessed property value; next year, the rate will be $2.79 per thousand.