Whitman County assessor explains sharp reassessments in Pullman; residents press for relief

Whitman County Assessor Raylene Flodine told the Pullman City Council on April 22 that the county has started a multi‑year effort to bring property assessments up to current market levels after years in which statistical updates were not performed consistently.

Flodine said the assessor’s office found Pullman market values had risen sharply while portions of Pullman had not been statistically updated, producing large differences in assessed values that are now being corrected. “We looked at the entire county, noticed that the entire county needed at the very least a 15% increase,” Flodine said. She added the office is now aiming for about an 85% ratio of assessed value to market value going forward.

Why it matters: property taxes are calculated by applying levy rates for multiple taxing districts to assessed values. Rapid assessment increases can translate into steep tax bills for homeowners even when levy rates fall, council members and residents warned.

Flodine said the county’s previous six‑year revaluation plan had split Pullman so parts were inspected in different years; her office rewrote that…