Most of us have received their Valentine card from The King County Assessment Office for 2012 Real Estate Tax and were pleasantly surprised to find that the Property Tax Assessment charge was again less than the prior year!

But then you discovered that the base for this assessment, your land and building (home) had diminished in value by 8.5 percent while the assessment had gone down a whooping 1.5 percent. That did not seem right because it appeared that all Base Categories; State, School, County, City, Port, Fire, Library, EMS all vital services had been reduced by 2.1 percent but Surface Water Management had increased by 9 percent but that was lower than the average for this activity since its inception in 1998 its cost has increased by 10 percent annually.

Another little oddity was noted in last year’s assessment when an "OTHER " category was added with no indication of what it covered or whom to contact in the Assessor Office for any information but it must be really vital because it increased by 37.2 percent in 2012.

I’m not confusing this with "OTHER Charges" which is merely a summation of Surface Water Management, Noxious Weed and something called KING CD.

This OTHER category is brand new with the 2011 Assessment and is apparently permanent. I believe it is incumbent on the King County Assessment Office to identify the authorization and what is included in this " secret slush fund" especially if its vital needs for funding increase by another 40 percent next year or the years after!

Wait until next week when I report on my $30 Auto License fee!

Gary L Kennedy
Des Moines