What housing crisis? County Commissioners plan to make it even harder to afford housing in Jefferson County. They intend to increase the property tax levy at the same time that gas, food and all other costs are spiking. Homeowners already struggling to make ends meet will have to pay even more money to the county to keep from losing their homes.

The Commissioners have put taxpayers on notice that they intend to raise the ad valorem tax by 1%, something that has become an annual ritual for them. Raising property taxes makes housing more expensive. It also makes rentals more expensive, as landlords pass along rising costs to tenants.

Back in 2017 the BOCC declared a housing emergency. That emergency has been constantly reaffirmed in commissioner discussions. But the BOCC has never acted as though it took the emergency seriously. It has never taken advantage of the emergency declaration to loosen regulatory and land use restrictions, which drive up the cost and and limit the supply of  housing. And every year it continues to add to the cost of housing by raising property taxes.

How bad is our housing affordability crisis? Try finding an affordable rental. Good luck with that. And good luck to the first time home buyer. Young people who grew up in this county have no hope of buying a home here.

The crisis is real and strangling our economy. Employers lose workers, or prospective hires go elsewhere because they can’t afford to live here. We have people with jobs living in their cars, for heaven’s sake, because housing is so insanely expensive.  Many members of the creative class, who have made Port Townsend such a special, vibrant place, are leaving because they can’t afford to live here.

The Housing Solutions Network explains how bad it is:

• Jefferson County is the second most unaffordable county in Washington state, after San Juan County—and nobody gets a house in San Juan County unless they are a millionaire or fortunate to inherit an island property.
• Median home prices have jumped 65% in just five years, from $276,600 to $455,900. The minimum wage boost is insignificant when measured against such huge inflation in housing prices. Other incomes in Jefferson County have been almost stagnant.
• Rental vacancies range from absolutely nothing to only 1%, meaning that even those with incomes can’t find a place to live.
• 29% of renters pay 30% and more for housing.

Let’s hope housing activists speak out against the BOCC making housing more expensive for everyone. These painful tax increases hurt the poor, seniors, workers and young people the most. There is nothing “progressive” whatsoever about the BOCC’s property tax increases.

Anybody reading this who lives in Jefferson County knows too well the staggering property tax bills hitting them every year. Very few homeowners who do not have appreciating significant stock portfolios are seeing their incomes rise at the same rate their property tax bills keep going up.

The county is the beneficiary of unprecedented federal largesse. At the October 11, 2021, meeting of the Board of County Commissioners, acting county administrator Mark McCauley, in response to a question from Beth O’Neal, stated that Jefferson County has already received $3.129 million and will receive another $3.129 million in May 2022. Furthermore, the county expects another $4 million over the next two years from Washington State revenue sharing of those federal funds starting in September, 2022.

The BOCC has already raised taxes this year by increasing the sales tax rate to 9.1%.

There is always reason to question how the BOCC is spending the tax money it is already collecting. The same BOCC that again wants to raise taxes on a county still struggling with the economic costs of the COVID lockdowns and mandates, on top of inflation at the highest level in 20 years, found enough extra money to give out $337,000 in bonuses to county workers.  Those bonuses were from taxes paid by many people who lost their jobs and saw their businesses close during the lockdowns.

Affordable housing requires affordable property taxes. To keep the cost of housing from continuing to rise, property taxes must be held in check, even reduced. That is a direct and immediate step the BOCC could take to do something to address our housing affordability crisis.

It is time they act on the emergency they declared.

The hearing on raising property taxes yet again will be November 15, 2021. The Commissioners will be protected from facing angry, scared taxpayers as the meeting will be on-line. Written comments may be sent to jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us. Follow instructions in the public notice on how to participate in the Zoom meeting. Click here to read those instructions.

Jim Scarantino

Jim Scarantino was the editor and founder of Port Townsend Free Press. He is happy in his new role as just a contributor writing on topics of concern to him. He spent the first 25 years of his professional life as a trial attorney, then launched an online investigative news website that broke several national stories. He is also the author of three crime novels. He resides in Jefferson County. See our “About” page for more information.