Summary

Councilmember Dunn's payment plan for King County property taxes was approved unanimously Tuesday.

Story

More financial aid is coming to King County property taxpayers affected by COVID-19. On Tuesday, the Metropolitan King County Council unanimously approved a new form of property tax relief, sponsored by King County Council Vice Chair Reagan Dunn.

“I believe it’s an act of leadership for the County to shoulder a share of the financial burden that many of its residents are struggling with during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dunn said. “This is good policy that offers a little leniency to folks who are stretched thin and not able to pay their bills.”

Dunn’s legislation gives the King County Treasurer the task of designing and implementing a payment plan for 2020 property taxes. Once it’s in place, the Treasurer will reach out to those who are delinquent on the first half tax bill to offer a payment plan. The King County Treasurer will also look into the feasibility of covering the fees of third-party vendors that cover the cost of payment administration. The goal of the plan is to help property taxpayers who are suffering financial hardship specifically caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 30, King County extended the due date for the first half of 2020 property taxes from April 30 to June 1, 2020. Since then, economic activity in King County has plummeted and the unemployment rate has skyrocketed to 15.8%, according to the Employment Security Department’s April report. As of June 11, 46,000 people were delinquent on their 2020 property tax payments, which amounts to a 28% increase from 2019.