A recent article in The Redmond Reporter outlined how your property tax money is spent. Your tax money goes to support a huge number of services from the state, to the county, to city of Redmond.  In addition, sewer, fire, schools, the library system, The Port of Seattle, and bond repayment all get their share.

From the King County website:

Although your property tax check is paid to “King County,” only about 15 cents or 1/6th of every property tax dollar goes to County government. The County only collects the money as a function of the County Treasury. The greater portion is disbursed to schools, cities, and special taxing districts for fire service, libraries, and hospitals.

schools:  52 cents

Local services : 31 cents

King County 15 cents

Port of Seattle 2 cents

In Redmond, you pay on average $9.48 per $1000 of of your assessed value.  Here’s how the $9.48 is spent:

• State schools — $2.22 per $1,000 valuation

• County General Fund — 89.7 cents

• County transportation levy — 6.5 cents

• Automated Fingerprint Identification System — 4.6 cents

• Parks/Open Space — 10.9 cents

• Veterans and Human Service Levy — 4.5 cents

• County bonds (public vote) — 7.4 cents

• County Conservation Futures — 4.9 cents

• County Flood Control District — 10.5 cents

• County Ferry District — 3/10ths of a cent

• Port of Seattle — 21.6 cents

• Emergency Medical Services (Medic One — public vote) – 30 cents

• Lake Washington School District Maintenance & Operations Levy (public vote) — $1.17

• Lake Washington School District Bond Levy (public vote) — $ 1.16

• Lake Washington School District Capital Levy (public vote) — 47.4 cents

• City General Fund — $1.56

• City General Obligation Bond (public vote) — 2.2 cents

• King County Library System General Fund — 42.2 cents

• King County Library System General Obligation Bond (public vote) — 3.9 cents

• Evergreen Hospital District General Fund — 28.3 cents

• Evergreen Hospital District General Obligation Bond (public vote) — 17.6 cents

• Redmond Capital Facilities Bond (public vote) — 4.5 cents

So what’s the county general fund, since it’s a recipient of the money from King County property taxes?  According to King County’s website:

The County general fund pays for the day-to-day operations of critical services that the public expects but which are not supported by any other revenues. The general fund represents only 14 percent of the total budget.

76 percent of the County general fund pays for law, safety and criminal justice services, such as jail operations, the Sheriff’s office, Superior Court, District Court, the Prosecuting Attorney and Public Defense.

The remainder of the general fund supports health and human services, parks and general government services.

The good news for Redmond, WA homeowners is property taxes are lower. Because assessed values, the value King County has placed on homes, has dropped, property taxes will be lower this year.  This is the silver lining in all of the less than wonderful economic news we’ve heard over the last few years.

Although, nothing seems to come without a price.  Because tax revenues are down,  some of our services will be cut.