Dr. Alan C. Bates State Senator District 3

Oregon legislative assembly

Peter Buckley State Representative District 5

News Release

February 22, 2010

Contact:          Holly East (Bates)       Andrew Ainsworth (Buckley)

(503) 986-1703           (503) 986-1405

Bates & Buckley Applaud Final Passage of Priority Legislation

HB 3612 will help local taxpayers facing additional property taxes due to errors in the county assessor’s office

Senator Alan Bates (D-Ashland) and Representative Peter Buckley (D-Ashland) are pleased to announce the final passage of HB 3612, the Southern Oregon pair’s legislative priority for this month’s special session. The measure, introduced in response to a situation that arose in Jackson County last fall, provides property owners with a longer period to repay back taxes owed as a result of clerical errors in the county assessor’s office.

Last October, Jackson County Assessor Dan Ross discovered that numerous properties had been incorrectly assessed in past years due to errors in his office, and owners of the impacted properties were subsequently notified that they had additional tax obligations. Under current law, the county assessor may add up to five years of back taxes onto property owners’ tax statements the next tax year when an error is found.

“Through no fault of their own, many Jackson County residents suddenly faced the daunting task of paying thousands of dollars in back taxes in a single year,” said Bates. “With many families struggling to make ends meet, I knew action had to be taken to prevent this situation from reoccurring in the future.”

HB 3612 allows property owners to pay off back taxes over a period of years equal to the number of years for which they owe. Back taxes from the earliest prior tax year are due in the next tax year, while taxes owed for subsequent prior years are placed onto future years’ bills in chronological order.

“When Senator Bates came to me with this legislation in mind, I immediately jumped on board,” said Buckley. “Property owners deserve adequate time to prepare for the payment of these unexpected taxes. HB 3612 is simply about government respecting the needs of its citizens.”

HB 3612 passed both the House and Senate unanimously and now goes to the Governor for his signature.

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