Salem, OR – Marion County tax statements will be mailed October 10, 2019, and should begin arriving in property owner mailboxes soon. Tom Rohlfing, Marion County Assessor, certified the 2019-2020 Tax Roll on October 8, 2019.
As of the January 1, 2019, valuation date, the aggregate Real Market Value of all property countywide increased by 9.23% from last year, to $50.68 billion. Overall, residential, rural, and commercial properties increased by more than 10% each. Real Market Value is the estimated amount in cash that could reasonably be expected to be paid for a property by an informed buyer to an informed seller. This rapid increase in market value stems from such factors as the healthy economy, high employment rates, and national interest in moving to the region.
Escalating values of residences and residential land located in cities and towns largely fueled the increase, jumping over $22.97 billion or 10.43%. The total value of rural property, including acreage homes, farms, and forest lands, also showed continued growth, increasing by 10.03%.
Due to Measure 50 benefits, some homeowners will experience much smaller tax increases than the preceding figures suggest. The typical unchanged home will experience only a 3% increase in assessed value no matter where they are located in the county. However, changes in tax rates due to new or expiring bonds will significantly affect owners in selected communities.
Properties within the Santiam Canyon School District saw the largest tax increase this year. There will be about a 20% increase in taxes for the average homeowner due to a new Santiam Canyon School Bond that was passed by voters. Last year, the East Salem Service District’s governing body created one lighting district which includes the entire service area. This also eliminated approximately 130 smaller lighting districts.
The cities of Woodburn and Jefferson will see tax increases of about 5% due to new Fire District Local Option Levies. The cities of Aurora and Donald will see a tax increase of about 6% due to the Aurora Fire District Local Option Levy. Average homeowners within the Salem-Keizer School District will only see about a 1% increase to their taxes. This was the result of a decrease in both school district and City of Salem bonds.
Commercial and industrial properties show a 13.54% growth in total value, which is slightly higher than residential, urban homes, or rural properties. Trends vary by property type. Industrial facilities, warehouses, and prime retail and office properties continue to experience value increases on an individual basis. This includes the addition of one warehouse that is slightly over one million square feet. Apartment and mini-storage construction added significant new value, while existing apartments continued to show moderate growth.
Assessed Value countywide grew by 4.57% to $26.50 billion, standing at just 52.29% of total Real Market Value. A big factor in the gap between market and assessed values, of course, is the Measure 50 limit of 3% annual growth in the Maximum Assessed Value of unchanged property. However, 13,320 properties receive sharply reduced assessed values and taxes due to farm or forest special assessment, and 16,748 properties receive full or partial tax exemptions.
Primary beneficiaries of Marion County property taxes are schools, the community college, and educational service districts receiving (45.72%) of the total. Other major recipients include cities (22.48%), Marion County government (17.24%), and fire districts (6.66%). Urban renewal districts receive about (3.35%). These percentages are similar to last year.
Mr. Rohlfing encourages property owners to promptly review their tax statement for accuracy. This includes checking for correct ownership, mailing, and location addresses. To aid with this, the Assessor’s Office provides a wide array of information on its website, including more detailed information about how each property is assessed. The property records portion of the Assessor’s Office website allows you to search multiple ways, including a map search tool to help locate properties.
Taxes are due by November 15, 2019, to receive the 3% discount and avoid interest charges. Owners with questions, or who feel changes are needed, should contact the Assessor’s Office at (503) 588-5144. Those who disagree with the Real Market Value placed on their property are encouraged to request a review prior to filing an appeal. If the property owner still does not agree with the value once the review is completed, instructions on the back of the tax statement describe how to appeal to the local Board of Property Tax Appeals, comprised of community volunteers.
