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County treasurer seeks board approval to remove uncollectible personal-property taxes, reports $844,000 in refunds
Summary
Cowlitz County Treasurer Deborah Gardner presented two consent items for the board: clearing uncollectible personal-property taxes from the roll under RCW process and reporting refunds issued during the year. The treasurer said about $86,500 in personal-property taxes would be written off as uncollectible and refunds totaled about $844,000.
County Treasurer Deborah Gardner told commissioners the annual process to identify uncollectible personal-property taxes and to present them to the board for removal from the roll is required by state law. Gardner and the treasurer’s chief deputy explained the procedure: when the assessor deletes a personal-property account (for example, when a business closes or a manufactured home is removed), the taxes can be classified as uncollectible and presented to the board under state law for write-off consideration. The treasurer noted the county retains the right to collect amounts later; after four years the county may seek court action to permanently remove the items.
Gardner said the list to be presented includes businesses that have closed and mobile homes that were destroyed or removed. The treasurer’s office described its increased outreach efforts this year to contact delinquent business taxpayers prior to presenting accounts for write-off.
On refunds, Gardner reported the county issued roughly $844,000 in refunds during the year for reasons such as senior exemptions, value adjustments and corrections to the roll. The treasurer clarified the amount to be written off in the personal-property category is approximately $86,500 and described the statutory timetable for the four-year window after a board resolution.
Why it matters: removing uncollectible personal-property taxes from the roll is an administrative, RCW-driven process that enables the county to keep the tax roll current while preserving statutory steps for further collection or court action if payments are later received.
Ending: The treasurer said the affidavits will be presented to the board on the consent agenda per the statutory requirement and answered commissioner questions about timing and the county’s collection options.
