Olympia's Budget and Finance Manager Joan Lutz presented the proposed rates and allocations for residents in an effort to clarify the city's property tax expectations for 2025.
Despite an Implicit Price Deflator (IPD) of 2.57%, Olympia will adhere to Washington's mandated 1% cap on property tax growth.
The city can make adjustments only for new construction and allowable refunds. The total rate will stay within the statutory maximum of $3.325 per $1,000 assessed value.
The city's levy rate, or the rate per $1,000 of property value, is based on the county assessor's property values and the city's revenue needs to keep the city within the legal limits on allowable charges.
For example, if property values rise, the levy rate is adjusted down, and if values fall, the rate goes up to keep collections steady.
In 2024, Olympia's share of the total property tax was 19.2%, while other local services received a much larger share.
"The city of Olympia is just a small portion of the whole property tax dollar amount," explained Lutz. The most significant slice, at 39.4%, went to the Olympia School District.
Washington State Schools took another 21.5%, reflecting the ongoing need to support statewide education initiatives.
Other allocations included 8.2% for Thurston County, 4.8% for the Olympia Metropolitan Park District, and smaller shares for entities like Medic One (3.1%), Timberland Library (2.2%), and the Port of Olympia (1.3%).
Meanwhile, for 2025, city staff anticipate a property value base of $11.6 billion, which is expected to yield a collection of approximately $20.9 million under the base levy.
In addition, the city will apply an additional excess levy, generating nearly $1.1 million earmarked explicitly for fire services.
This "excess levy," approved by voters in 2008, helps cover the debt service for bonds issued to build fire stations, fire training facilities, and other essential equipment for local fire services.
"The levy for collections in 2025 is $1,096,236.49, which includes a refund levy of $49,236.49," Lutz noted.
For a typical homeowner with a property assessed at $300,000, city property taxes in 2025 would amount to about $565.19 under the regular city property tax rate of $1.88 per $1,000 assessed value.
Lutz explained that this regular levy rate is "based on the city's calculated revenue needs and divided by the total assessed property value."
In addition, an excess levy for fire services—dedicated to the bond from 2008 for fire stations and equipment—would add approximately $20.67.
With the Olympia Metropolitan Park District (OMPD) levy contributing an extra $149.26, this homeowner's total expected city-related property tax would reach approximately $743.
The tax impact scales with the property's assessed value, as shown in Lutz's presentation:
Lutz noted that these estimates aim to "provide residents with a transparent look at how Olympia's 2025 property tax plan impacts their annual bills" while adhering to the city's legal constraints on tax growth.
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JW
60 percent in total going to schools. And people whine and cry that the bloated school system is underfunded. Do your part and vote no on every school bond and levy and send a message that the bloated dinosaur that is the public education system needs to go.
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