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Packwood resident tells commissioners property taxes have soared; urges county spending cuts and employee incentives
Summary
A Packwood resident told the Lewis County commissioners his assessed home value rose 278% since 2020 and his monthly property tax will total $1,500; he urged the county to reduce spending and consider employee bonus incentives for underspending departments.
A Packwood resident told the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners Tuesday that his household’s property tax bill has risen to the equivalent of $1,500 per month and urged the county to reduce spending rather than increase taxes.
"Having received our property tax statement, it confirmed that we will be paying $1,500 per month simply to live in our home," the speaker said, identifying himself as a Packwood resident and a former city councilor. He told commissioners his home is paid off and said its assessed value had increased "by 278% since 2020." The speaker said others in Packwood contacted him to report similar large increases.
The resident pressed the board to search for spending reductions, arguing the county "does not have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem," and proposed creating a reward system that would provide bonuses to county employees if a department spends under its budget. He suggested savings could be put into a rainy-day fund and, in years of excess, returned to taxpayers as reduced property taxes.
The public comment period also included written comment from Kyle Wheeler, which the clerk said was included in the meeting record.
The county did not take action on the resident’s proposals during the meeting; comments were recorded during the public-comment portion of the business meeting.
