Bainbridge council approves property tax increase

Assessed value of property on island climbs to $9.2 billion.

The Bainbridge Island City Council has approved an increase in property taxes for 2020.

The increase was part of the city’s annual budget process, and councilmembers unanimously approved the new levy at their meeting Tuesday.

The property tax levy will go up by 0.922743 percent, plus an increase of $128,308 (which is equal to the amount allowed for new construction on the island).

City spokeswoman Kristen Drew said the increase would increase the property tax bill for a typical house on Bainbridge Island ($732,730 per the county’s assessment book for 2019) by roughly $6.15 compared to last year’s bill.

The $6.15 increase is an estimate: The exact tax rate for next year won’t be set by Kitsap County until January.

The increase will bump up the 2019 total levy of $7,652,301 by $70,611.

With other adjustments, the city’s total levy in 2020 will be $7,882,699.

The current assessed value of property on Bainbridge is $9.2 billion, though that number may change until property values are finalized in January.

The amount of new construction on Bainbridge has an assessed value of $140,950,890. The $128,308 figure is based on the amount raised using the city’s prior levy rate.

Bainbridge officials noted that the city’s portion of residents’ property tax bills amounts to 10 percent of the total bill.