Port of Vancouver, USA Commissioners have authorized
the implementation of an Industrial Development District levy to
fund the purchase and improvements of two waterfront industrial
sites for maritime and industrial operations that will bring 1,859
new jobs and $24 million annually in tax revenue for public services
to our community.
The following information answers a number of
the Frequently Asked Questions about Port taxes and the IDD levy.
For additional information, please visit the rest of our web site
or send your inquiries to info@portvanusa.com.
Do I live in the port
district?
How is the Port funded?
What does the Port provide
the average district resident?
What are taxes used for?
What is an Industrial Development
District (IDD) levy?
How much could my taxes increase with an IDD
levy?
What would the IDD levy provide?
Will there be an opportunity for port district
taxpayers to provide input on the IDD levy before it is implemented?
Do I live in the port district?
The Port of Vancouver, USA tax district was established in 1912
to prevent private monopoly of the Columbia River system. The district
encompasses an area of 111 square miles with a population of almost
300,000.
View a Port District Map
Click here
to download a Port district map. (968 KB - PDF)
Clark County Elections District Locator
Use the Clark County's locator to confirm that
your home is in the Port of Vancouver district.
http://www.clark.wa.gov/elections/voting/district.asp
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How is the Port funded?
The Port of Vancouver, USA receives 3% of the
overall property tax collected within the Port district (approximately
$9 million in 2007). This money represents 12% of the Port's total
budget and is used only for capital improvements, bond payments
and environmental cleanups.
Daily port operations, including salaries, are financed by revenues
generated by marine and industrial activities at the Port. Revenues
are also used to supplement tax dollars for capital improvements
and environmental cleanups.
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What does the Port
provide the average district resident?
If you watch TV, drive a car or live in a home, goods traveling
through the Port of Vancouver touch your life. Jet fuel, steel,
lumber, wheat and malt for Northwest microbrews are just a few examples
of the diverse and familiar materials that pass through the Port
every day.
More than $81 million in state and local tax revenue is collected
annually due to port activities. This helps fund public services
to our community when distributed each year to the state’s
general fund (50%), the city (32%), local schools (11%) and other
agencies.
Click here
to view a list of Port tenants.
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What are taxes used
for?
The property taxes that the Port receives are used for capital improvements,
bond payments and environmental cleanups. Tax dollars have been
instrumental in completing the Mill Plain extension, the 26th Avenue
overpass, the redevelopment of Parcel 1 of Columbia Gateway (the
Subaru facility at Terminal 4), Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. We have
also used the money to clean up and return to productive use 55
acres of land contaminated by past owners.
Click here
for more information on Port taxes.
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What is an Industrial Development
District (IDD) levy?
An Industrial Development District (IDD) levy authorizes the Port
to use public funds for the improvement and development of industrial
lands. State legislation allows the Port two six-year levies for
industrial development district purposes. The Port used its first
IDD levy from 1958 to 1963.
The Port may levy for a second six years. The IDD levy is a one-time
option to generate funds for a specific project that expires after
six years. It cannot be renewed.
To begin collection of IDD levy taxes in 2008, the Port must publish
a Notice of Intent to Levy Tax on or before February 13, 2007.
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How much could my taxes increase with
an IDD levy?
Currently, the Port receives 33.7 cents per $1,000 of the assessed
property value of your home.
The temporary Industrial Development District (IDD) levy will add
up to 45 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value for six years.
For the average Clark County homeowner, taxes on a $250,000 home
would be approximately $9 a month from 2008 through 2013.
Seniors and disabled persons on limited incomes (under $30,000
annually) can qualify for a 35% to 60% reduction in port property
taxes through the Washington State Property Tax Exemption for Senior
Citizens and Disabled Persons.
For information about this program, please visit: http://www.clark.wa.gov/assessor/taxrelief/senior.html
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What would the IDD levy provide?
The six-year Industrial Development District levy will generate
approximately $78 million to help pay for development of industrial
lands. The purchase and development of these lands for maritime
and industrial business can provide family-wage jobs for Vancouver
and our region by returning these acres to productive use.
Specifically, the Port plans to use proceeds from its second IDD
levy for the purchase and improvement of 218 acres of waterfront
industrial property, formerly the site of the Alcoa aluminum smelter
and fabrication facility on Lower River Road west of the Port’s
current operating terminals.
Use of the property for marine and industrial operations would create
1,859 on site jobs and generate annual tax revenues of $24 million
to help fund public services, such as schools, law enforcement,
transportation and others.
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Will there be an opportunity for
port district taxpayers to provide input on the IDD levy before
it is implemented?
Port Commissioners and staff will be meeting with neighborhood associations
and community groups throughout the port district in upcoming weeks
to discuss the port’s plans for bringing new jobs to Clark
County and to answer questions about these developments and funding.
Washington state law (RCW 53.36.100) establishes the IDD levy authorization
and the rules for implementing an IDD levy. It also provides for
a voter petition process to call for a public vote on the second
six-year levy.
Click here to read RCW 53.36.100
(PDF 60.2 Kb).
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