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Treasurer
The Treasurer’s Office is adjusting its hours of operation, effective December 8, 2023, in order to accommodate the County’s 32-hour work week. The office will remain open to the public Monday – Thursday from 10:00am-4:00pm and hold regular hours of operation Monday-Thursday from 8:00am-5:00pm. The department's output will remain consistent with existing service levels and productivity will remain the same across the organization. Learn more about the County’s 32-hour work week initiative here.
Welcome to the Treasurer's Home Page
Our office continues to strongly encourage self-service methods to conduct your business whenever possible. The Treasurer's office has a secure drop box, checked throughout the day. It is located at the main entrance of the Court House (Sheriff side).
The county treasurer holds a key position of public trust in the financial affairs of local government. Acting as the bank for the county, school districts, fire districts, special purpose districts and other units of local government, the treasurer’s office receipts, disburses, invests and accounts for the funds of each of these entities. In addition, the treasurer is charged with the collection of various taxes that benefit a wide range of governmental functions.
Major Responsibilities of the County Treasurer:
As the depository for all funds, fees collected by other county offices as well as those collected by the various districts, are forwarded to the treasurer for custody. State and federal monies allocated to local governments are transmitted to the treasurer and are deposited to the proper funds. Monthly reports are prepared to show the accounting transactions by fund for each unit of government.
Property taxes are a major source of revenue to local governments. Property taxes are billed by the county treasurer based on the assessment roll from the Assessor. The county treasurer also bills and collects special assessments authorized by the voters to fund improvements or to provide a specific service to property owners within a localized district.
The county treasurer acts as an agent for the Washington State Department of Revenue to administer and collect the real estate excise tax on the conveyance of real property. These taxes, which help fund the state public school system and local government capital improvements, are paid by the seller as a percentage of the sale price.
Upon receipt of the tax rolls from the county assessor, the treasurer forwards to all property owners statements of real and personal property taxes due. These taxes are payable on or after February 15 of each year with the full tax due by April 30. If the amount payable is over $50, one-half may be paid on or before April 30 with the second half due on or before October 31.
Collection provisions in the law direct the treasurer to seize and sell personal property when taxes become delinquent. The statutes governing real property require the treasurer to commence foreclosure action when those taxes are delinquent for three years and the property is sold at a public auction.
The treasurer redeems all school, county and district warrants from monies available in the fund upon which they were drawn. If a fund has insufficient monies, each warrant is registered and interest charges begin to accrue. Then, as monies become available, those warrants are called for redemption in the order of their issuance.
The treasurer manages the cash flow of the county and invests funds not needed for immediate expenditures for the county and special purpose districts.
The treasurer administers short-term and long-term debt financing. Bond sales authorized by the county and school or other local districts are conducted by the treasurer. A detailed record is kept of every bond and an entry on the bond register shows each bond and coupon payment.
Units of local government and fund managers provide written authorization for the county treasurer to invest funds not required for immediate expenditure. The treasurer then places funds in legally authorized investments (such as U.S. government securities, certificates of deposit, and bankers acceptances) for the benefit of the specific fund. In addition, short-term and/or overnight investments such as repurchase agreements or deposits in the Local Government Investment Pool (operated by the State Treasurer) are entered into as provided by statute. These investments are authorized by the county finance committee which consists of the county treasurer, the county auditor and the chair of the county legislative authority.