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Special Assessments for Conservation Districts
What is a special assessment?
Districts have authority under state law (RCW 89.08) to propose to their county government that a special assessment be added to the property tax on lands within their jurisdiction that benefit from district activities. The assessment can be between 1 and 10 years in length. This assessment must be approved by the county legislative authority before it is implemented. Successive assessments may be proposed but each must be approved through the same process.
Why a special assessment?
By establishing a dedicated fund through special assessment to support District services, landowners in Kittitas County will be able to rely on us to provide answers and technical advice for our local natural resource concerns. At this time, the KCCD is
funded by grants which can limit the kind of work we can do—and where we can do it.
How much will the assessment raise?
The District needs to raise between $125,000 to $150,000 from the special
assessment. Besides providing a foundation for District programs, this investment will be used as local match that can bring as much as $600,000 in
additional grant money to our community.
How will the money be spent?
The funds will be used to implement the District’s long range plan. That plan was created in 2005 by the District and members of the community. Specifically, funds raised by an
assessment will
- Provide a small acreage landowner assistance
program including on-site consultations for new
landowners - Provide assistance to implement “Firewise”
lands and projects to reduce the threat of wildfire
damage to homes and communities
- Assist landowners with noxious weed control
plans, livestock management plans, or irrigation
water management plans
- Leverage funds for improving on-farm irrigation
systems to promote efficient water use
- Leverage funds for fish screen and fish passage
facilities on private irrigation diversions
- Allow KCCD to act as ombudsman for local
landowners dealing with local, state and federal
agencies and regulations
Where will the money come from?
The assessment fee will be paid by landowners within the District’s boundaries. The fee will be included on the same bill as their property tax. The proposed assessment is $5 per parcel per year, plus 10 cents per acre for lands in the irrigated zone and 1/2 cent per acres for lands outside the irrigated zone and approximately 1.4 cents per acre and $3 per landowner for commercial forest.
Aren’t we already paying someone else to do these things?
No, there is no other group or agency that provides services similar to the KCCD.
Currently the KCCD:
—works directly for private landowners to solve their site-specific concerns
—has a partnership with NRCS to add to our extensive technical expertise
—has programs that are developed in direct response to local needs and are not
the mandate of an unseen government program.
—is not a regulatory or enforcement agency. Our programs are based on education and technical assistance through voluntary cooperation of landowners.
What will happen if the assessment doesn’t pass?
—Landowners will be unaware of the resources and programs available —Landowners may have to pay consultants to get the technical help they seek and construct projects with little or no financial assistance.
—Without the Kittitas County Conservation District in a strong leadership role,
our community will lose the best opportunity to maintain locally driven programs to address natural resource concerns.
The Conservation District’s
special assessment is our best chance to keep natural resource protection a voluntary endeavor.
passed for collection in 2007
Resolution (as approved by the Board of County Commissioners, December 5th, 2006
View our Public Hearing Presentation
(requires Adobe Reader)
