PORT ANGELES — Death, at least, still is certain.
Taxes — some of them for some people under some conditions — may be another matter.
Property owners still shocked at the fair-market re-evaluations of their homes have a variety of remedies to reduce or defer what they must pay to the Clallam County treasurer.
First, there’s the Board of Equalization.
It’s too late for owners of homes who were reassessed as of Oct. 6, although they may be able to qualify for certain tax-reduction programs.
Owners of the approximately 30,000 properties that were re-evaluated Oct. 27 have until Nov. 27 to petition the board to reduce the taxable value of their homes.
Susie Breitbach, board clerk, Wednesday said owners must fill out a petition that gives good reasons their houses have been overvalued.
“People just can’t file a petition and say, ‘It went up 35 percent, and I don’t like it,”‘ she said.
More often than not, though, petitioners get a break.
In 41 percent of the cases over the last decade, the assessor has stipulated the petitioner’s claim, and the evaluation was adjusted without a hearing.
In another 20 percent, the board sided with owners Seven percent of petitioners withdrew their appeals.