Clark County treasurer details tax-relief options, tech upgrades and $40M returned to local taxing districts

Clark County Treasurer Alicia Topper said her office returned more than $40,000,000 in investment earnings to local taxing districts and outlined property tax relief options, billing schedules and technology upgrades in a recent interview with Clark County Close-up.

Topper said the treasurer's office handles collection and distribution of property taxes for the county and other local taxing districts, manages an investment portfolio "just over a billion dollars," oversees banking contracts for school and fire districts and manages debt for Clark County and other taxing districts. "We earned over $40,000,000 that we were able to give back to the schools and to fire districts and library and cemetery districts and others so they could put that to good use here in our community," she said.

Topper described several taxpayer-facing programs and operational changes. On relief, she said state law allows treasurers to waive interest and penalty for qualifying low-income taxpayers and that seniors may qualify for a senior exemption or deferral administered by the Assessor's Office. "If you're low income and you're behind, we can waive your interest and penalty if you qualify," Topper said. She added that some pandemic-era programs funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) have expired.

On billing and payment timing, Topper said Clark County issues two property-tax statements each year. The first installment is due April 30 and the county typically mails statements in mid-February; the second installment is due Oct. 31. Topper said the office recently mailed second-half statements around Sept. 16. She explained a common customer issue: a 24-hour lag between online payments and system updates that sometimes causes double payments. The office is upgrading application programming interfaces (APIs) so online payments will show in real time.

Topper also described an in-person change: a remodel of the joint lobby at the Public Service Center where the Auditor's Office, Assessor's Office and Treasurer's Office provide in-person services. The remodel is intended to increase privacy, improve flow and enhance security and is expected to be completed by the end of next tax season, she said.

Topper noted her role as an independent elected official established by the state constitution and Clark County's local charter: "I'm one of six independent elected administrators in the county. So I provide regional services for other taxing districts and the county is essentially one of my customers." She said she is elected to four-year terms.

Separately, Topper described her service on the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. She said she has served on the commission since 2017 and that the commission's low-income housing tax credit program helped bring more than 2,700 units of affordable housing statewide. She said she is nearing the end of her term on that commission and has worked to recruit a Southwest Washington representative.

Topper encouraged residents to consult the Treasurer's Office website for details, reports and program applications. She gave the office's web address as clark.wa.gov/treasurer and listed the phone number (564) 397-2252.