How Your Clatsop County Tax Dollar Is Spent

How Your Tax Dollar is Spent

Although you write your property tax check to Clatsop County, only some of the money goes to the county.

The county collects the taxes and then distributes the money to 66 taxing districts.

For each $1 paid by the average Clatsop County taxpayer:
* 48.3 cents goes to school districts, including Clatsop Community College
* 22.3cents goes to the cities, including urban renewal districts
* 14.7 cents goes to recreation, transportation, water and other districts
* 2.6 cents goes to rural fire protection districts
Just 12.1 cents of each average tax dollar goes to the county government.
Of that 12.1 cents:
* 4.6 cents helps fund public safety and justice programs, such as sheriff's patrols, the jail, district attorney's office and juvenile department;
* 2.2 cents goes toward public service programs such as assessment and taxation, elections and records, surveyor, land-use planning and development, animal control, parks and some public health programs;
* 2 cents goes to miscellaneous services as data systems services, finance, building maintenance and veterans services;
* 1.5 cents is set aside as contingency for unforeseen expenses or revenue shortfalls;
* 0.9 cent goes for administration such as county administration, human resources, legal counsel and board of commissioners;
* 0.9 cent goes for the fair grounds special levy approved by the voters for enchanced operations and facility improvements.
Property taxes provide about one-third of the county's funding for public services. The rest comes from state and federal funds, fees for service, timber, carryover from the previous year's budget and other sources.