Carnation homeowners could see whopping 31% property tax increase

CARNATION, Wash. – The small Snoqualmie Valley community is a far cry from Seattle or the other bigger cities on the Eastside. Barely 2,000 people live in Carnation.

But many in the town told Q13 News they were shocked to learn their property taxes were about to rise sharply.

“The cost of living has become far too expensive; the tax bracket has risen and we haven’t,” said Sean Bucasas.



Folks like Bucasas said they choose to live in the area because they want to live in a small community – and enjoy the benefits of not paying high taxes.

But in part, thanks to the McCleary education funding decision, many communities in King County and other counties are seeing big increases in property taxes to help pay for education across the state.

“There are massive tax shifts from King County taxpayers into the state coffers to fund education to pay for elsewhere across the state,” said King County Assessor John Wilson.

That means in Carnation, for a median-assessed-value property of about $380,000, homeowners could see a tax bill more than 30% higher than last year.

And it’s not just homeowners that are being impacted. Bucasas says he rents and he’s planning to move his family to Eastern Washington this summer to find a more affordable place to live.

“We’ve got one-bedroom houses going for $1,450 a month,” he said, “I can’t compete with that at all.”

There is help available for low-income seniors, veterans and disabled homeowners – the King County assessor says their office has programs to help those folks qualify for an exemption to help cover the skyrocketing cost of property taxes.