Mattawa Council approves annual property tax levy, budget

MATTAWA — The Mattawa City Council unanimously passed a resolution during Thursday’s regular meeting to approve the 1% annual levy increase to the city’s property tax collection after a public hearing on the resolution, as well as the city’s preliminary budget. 

Prior to passing the resolution, the public was invited to comment in public hearings for the levy, the city’s preliminary 2024 budget and the general fund’s 2024 revenue sources.

Mayor Maria Celaya specified that the property tax levy does not increase individual property owners’ taxes, it just increases the amount the city collects by one percent, in this case $1,500. 

The Washington State Department of Revenue website provides more information on how the annual levy works.

“The one percent limit applies to the maximum increase in tax revenue that can be levied by an individual taxing district. It does not apply to individual homes, which tend to increase in assessed valuations at varying rates depending on location and other factors. Taxes on individual homes could increase by more or less than one percent depending on how they change in value relative to other properties in a district.”

Mattawa citizen Jesse Chiprez provided input during the public comment portion of the meeting.

“I’m just here because I noticed that it's budget season and I just wanted to remind the city council that what you guys decided there directly affects us for the rest of the year,” Chiprez said. “Department heads, please plan your budget, carefully I guess, prudently because I've come to meetings and I sit here and I see things just get approved on a whim. As a taxpayer, I'm very disappointed when I see that…Things that go down the road and then you see that the total waste of the money, it was more of a convenience thing, or ‘hey, there's extra money in the budget, so let's get this,’ and the city council keeps approving it. The answer to budget problems is not just raising our taxes.”

Chiprez asked the council to put thought into what they do and when approving expenses.

“We voted for you guys to be in your positions, and you know, for the most part, you guys are great but that's my ask, that you guys be really good about things, you know, think things through, read your package and do that sort of stuff to prepare for when you guys do make decisions that concern our pocketbooks and our town.”

The city’s preliminary 2024 budget projects $9,968,818 in revenue and $9,968,770 in expenditures for the upcoming year. 

After the public hearings, the city unanimously approved the 2024 property tax levy.

Gabriel Davis may be reached at gdavis@columbiabasinherald.com.

    The chart above shows highlights from Mattawa's city budget which was approved Thursday. Budgets may be amended as needed throughout the year but the initial budget is a guideline municipalities try to stay close to in order to plan and make things predictable for residents.