Homeowners in Santiam Canyon to see 20 percent property tax increases
Bill PoehlerHomeowners in Santiam Canyon cities including Mill City, Gates, Detroit and Idanha will see increases in property taxes between 19% and 23% for the 2019-2020.
Voters in the Santiam Canyon School District passed a school bond measure in the May election. It was the first time voters in the district had passed a school bond.
The $17.9 million bond will pay for new high and middle schools at the Mill City campus, with construction expected to be completed in 2020.
Property owners in those cities still pay some of the lowest rates in Marion County.
Those in Detroit will pay an average of $2,176, Gates residents will pay an average of $1,803, Mill City residents pay $1,656, and those in Idanha will pay an average of $595.
The highest tax rate in Marion County is in Aurora, where residents pay an average of $4,434, an increase of 6% due to the Aurora Replacement Local Option Levy passed in May.
Marion County Tax Assessor Tom Rohlfing said many of the taxpayers affected by the Santiam Canyon School Bond are on the Linn County side, and the overall increase will be an average of 20%.
The Measure 50-mandated 3% can be impacted by bonds and levies being added or subtracted from the tax rolls.
“Measure 50 does set expectations with people that their taxes will go up 3%, which is not accurate,” Tom Rohlfing said.
Homeowners in Salem and Keizer are getting lower tax increases this year.
A Salem-Keizer school district bond from 1992 was retired in June, ahead of its original schedule, due to being refinanced at a better interest rate in 2013, which results in a decrease in the percentage of tax property owners will pay from a year ago.
But combined with the Measure 50 mandated 3% increase in assessed value, Salem residents will see an increase in taxes of about 1%.
Salem residents on the Marion County side will pay an average of $3,544 while those in West Salem will pay an average of $3,424.
“And they saw a large increase last year because the school district passed that bond and the city passed the library bond. They get to see a little bit of a reduction in their rate this year,” Polk County Tax Assessor Valerie Patoine said.
The real market value of property in Marion County increased by 9% from a year ago.
A year ago, taxes for Salem property owners increased 11% as the newest school bond and a bond for the Salem Public Library were added to the taxes for residents.
Homeowners in Dallas will see a .5% increase.
Patoine said the city paid a bond off, but voters in the county passed a public safety levy in the May election, which replaced a prior levy.
“Their rate overall went down 38 cents per thousand,” Patoine said.
Those in Woodburn and Jefferson will see their taxes increase by 5% for new fire district levies.
Marion County mailed tax statements Oct. 10 while Polk County plans to mail statements by Oct. 23. Marion County residents who pay by Nov. 15 receive a 3% discount.
Those who disagree with their new property tax evaluation can appeal their taxation to a local Board of Property Tax Appeals.
bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com or Twitter.com/bpoehler
2019-2020 taxes
Average assessed Tax rates Average taxes Percent increase
Aumsville $149,360 15.8 $2,356 2%
Aurora $267,750 16.5 $4,434 6%
Dallas $177,286 14.0 $2,491 1%
Detroit $143,800 15.1 $2,176 22%
Falls City $84,956 12.9 $1,097 4%
Gates $126,810 14.2 $1,803 23%
Gervais $150,730 19.2 $2,900 5%
Hubbard $184,240 14.5 $2,671 3%
Idanha $36,140 16.4 $595 20%
Independence $156,155 18.5 $2,896 3%
Jefferson $164,540 14.7 $2,421 5%
Keizer $201,050 16.4 $3,379 1%
Mill City $95,050 17.4 $1,654 19%
Monmouth $170,469 17.0 $2,899 4%
Mt. Angel $186,550 17.5 $3,278 2%
St. Paul $192,350 13.9 $2,675 2%
Salem $181,420 19.5 $3,544 1%
Scotts Mills $141,660 13.2 $1,880 3%
Silverton $256,360 16.8 $4,313 3%
Stayton $188,880 15.2 $2,885 2%
Sublimity $246,000 12.6 $3,108 2%
Turner $179,370 15.6 $2,804 2%
West Salem $183,299 18.6 $3,424 2%
Woodburn $167,280 19.9 $3,331 5%