EVERETT — Marysville residents are in for some sticker shock this month when they get their 2024 property tax bills.
The annual tax on a typical residence went up 26.6%, with Joe Homeowner paying $818 more than last year.
“That’s the biggest jump in the county,” Snohomish County Assessor Linda Hjelle said.
The hefty Marysville tax increase is primarily due to voter approval of the local school levy in February 2023.
The county treasurer’s office soon will begin mailing homeowners the annual notices.
It is good news for some, who will pay less.
In Woodway, with the county’s priciest homes, residents will see a tax decrease averaging $441. The typical Woodway home has an assessed value of about $2.2 million, down from nearly $2.4 million in 2023. The average tax bill is $15,364 for 2024.
The average assessed value of a Marysville home is $489,200, with a tax bill of $3,891.
Property taxes countywide in 2024 increased an overall 4.6% from last year.
Arlington’s increase is 7.4%, or $277 on average. Sultan’s taxes are up 6.7%, or $235 more. Mountlake Terrace homeowners will pay about $310 more.
Darrington taxes went down an average of 5.1%. Everett’s decreased 1.2%, with the typical homeowner paying $54 less than 2023.
That doesn’t mean all homeowners in a district will see a decrease or increase at those percentage rates: These are average figures, with individual bills lower or higher within taxing districts. For some people in Everett, for instance, bills might go up, but not markedly. In Marysville, bills can fall below or above the 26.6% mark.
“Most areas will be seeing very little change,” Hjelle said. “The commercial market increased more than residential.”
The total taxable assessed value for property in the county decreased from $219 billion in 2023 to $212 billion in 2024 for tax purposes, according to a news release from the assessor’s office. Property taxes for all purposes will total $1.747 billion in 2024, up $77.4 million over the $1.669 billion that was levied for all taxing districts in 2023.
The typical levy rate in 2023 was $7.61 per thousand dollars of assessed value, while the 2024 levy rate increased to $8.23.
Voters approved 11 of 13 monetary property tax measures on the ballot in 2023. Of these, five were approved for fire district levies and five were approved for city and fire district EMS levies.
The residential property increase is 2.6% for Brier and 7% for Mountlake Terrace, primarily due to added costs for fire services from the cities being annexed into the South County Regional Fire Authority.
Some people statewide will get a break. Legislation passed last year put the 2024 income threshold to $75,000, up from $55,743, for property tax relief for limited income senior citizens and people with disabilities.
More at snohomishcountywa.gov/Assessor.
Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @reporterbrown.
Property Tax Quiz
Source: Snohomish County Assessor
Test your property tax knowledge. Answer True or False.
1. I don’t have any kids in school. I still need to pay school property taxes.
2. Property taxes can’t increase more than 1%.
3. The levy rate is fixed and never changes unless voters approve a new rate.
4. Taxing districts levies can only increase by 1%.
5. My property taxes go to more taxing districts than just Snohomish County.
6. I received my value notice from the assessor’s office. My value increased/decreased from the previous year. My taxes will increase/decrease by the same percentage.
Answers:
1. True. 2. False. 3. False. 4. False. 5. True. 6. False.
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