Grant County revenue outlook still uncertain

EPHRATA — The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on Grant County government finances is still unclear, but county officials should know more by the end of May.

Grant County Treasurer Darryl Pheasant updated county commissioners on property tax collections during a commission meeting Tuesday.

Pheasant said property tax collections through the end of March 2020 were about 11 percent higher than property tax collections in the same period in 2019. The deadline to pay property taxes is April 30.

Some counties, King County among them, extended their payment due date for some classes of property owners. Grant County did not. But people can apply for a 29-day extension or to set up an eight-month payment plan. Pheasant said Tuesday that the treasurer’s office is still getting inquiries about the extensions and is granting some of them.

Sales tax also generates revenue for counties. Commissioner Richard Stevens said in a separate interview that the shutdown’s impact on Grant County sales taxes won’t be clear until late May or early June.

— Cheryl Schweizer