Wahkiakum County Assessor Bill Coons had an unpleasant surprise in his email Tuesday afternoon.

He received notification of new state property tax levy rates from the Washington Department of Revenue, saying, in effect, the state property tax levy rate is going up approximately 50 percent, which will raise property taxes about $1 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The increase is a result of the legislature's action in response to the state supreme court's McLeary Decision, which mandated increased funding for basic education in schools.