Port Taxes

The 1911 law that first authorized citizens to form ports also allowed an annual property tax levy of $2 per $1000 of assessed value of taxable property within the district.

Today, the port receives about 36 cents per $1000 of assessed value.

Taxes collected

The average port district taxpayer pays about $90 in taxes to the port for an average home valued at $250,000. Port of Vancouver USA levies the smallest number, at 3 percent, of your total annual property taxes.

Tax dollars

There is a separate account from the port's operations accounts that independently handles tax proceeds. Tax proceeds are only used for capital improvements, repayment of bond debt, and environmental cleanups.

For example, the types of capital projects that qualify for the use of tax dollars and its associated borrowings are  the Columbia River Channel Deepening and  the purchase of Terminal 5. About 66 percent of property tax receipts will be used to pay debt service on general obligation bonds. Bonds were used to purchase Terminal 5. Residual property receipts will be used for priority capital projects.

The Ripple Effect

Improving port facilities to create more jobs and encourage business growth for the community is one of the port's top priorities. The port has 50 marine/industrial tenants who employ over 15,500 people, generating an overall income of $764 million, and contributing nearly $82 million in state and local taxes. Port activities ripple out and influence thousands of jobs in Clark County and inject millions of dollars into our economy.

Taxes at work

The existing tax levy, even at the lowest level, ensures the ability of the port to borrow money for capital investments (it acts like collateral), especially for improvements to infrastructure like river, road and rail, which are usually multi-million dollar investments.

Another important reason for the levy is that it keeps port operations public - it contributes to making port operation decisions in favor of community benefits versus simply the bottom line, promotes environmental stewardship, and prevents monopolies of the U.S. waterways and U.S. trade.

The following information answers a number of the Frequently Asked Questions about port taxes.  If you have more questions please send your inquiries to info@portvanusa.com.

• Do I live in the port district?
• How is the port funded?
• What does the port provide the average district resident?
• What are taxes used for?

Do I live in the port district?

The Port of Vancouver USA tax district was established in 1912 to prevent private monopoly of the Columbia River system. The district encompasses an area of 111 square miles with a population of almost 300,000.

Clark County Elections District Locator
Use the Clark County's locator to confirm that your home is in the Port of Vancouver district.
www.clark.wa.gov/elections/voting/district.asp

How is the port funded?

The Port of Vancouver USA receives 3.3 percent of the overall property tax collected within the Port District (approximately $9.6 million in 2010). This money is used only for capital improvements, bond payments and environmental cleanups.

Daily port operations, including salaries, are financed by revenues generated by marine and industrial activities at the port. Revenues are also used to supplement tax dollars for capital improvements and environmental cleanups.

What does the port provide the average district resident?

If you watch TV, drive a car or live in a home, goods traveling through the Port of Vancouver touch your life. Jet fuel, steel, lumber, wheat and malt for Northwest microbrews are just a few examples of the diverse and familiar materials that pass through the port every day.

More than $81 million in state and local tax revenue is collected annually due to port activities. This helps fund public services to our community when distributed each year to the state’s general fund (50 percent), the city (32 percent), local schools (11 percent) and other agencies.

Click here to view a list of port tenants.

What are taxes used for?

The property taxes that the port receives are used for capital improvements, bond payments and environmental cleanups. Tax dollars were instrumental in completing the Mill Plain extension, the 26th Avenue overpass, the redevelopment of Parcel 1 of Columbia Gateway (the Subaru facility at Terminal 4), Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. We have also used the money to clean up and return to productive use 55 acres of land contaminated by past owners.