Example of Tax for a New Library District¶

According to David Thunell, Grant County has not reached the Measure 5 limit on taxed millage. Thus, the existing millage will not be compressed, and voters must approve both the special library district and a likely $0.35 per $1,000 millage increase. Below is an example of what that would mean for a residential lot in Prairie City.

Assumptions¶

Annual Library Budget: $250,000 (about $0.35 per $1,000 assessed value)
Example Property:
Assessed Value: $66,126
Real Market Value (RMV): $120,000
Taxes Paid in 2024: $983
Typical lot in Prairie City with 1100 sq.ft home in good condition

Calculations¶

Millage is calculated on assessed value, not RMV:
Prairie City 2024 Tax Rate:
- $983 / $66,126 × 1,000 = $14.87 per $1,000 assessed value
Library Millage Impact:
- New tax rate: $14.87 + $0.35 = $15.22 per $1,000
- Percentage increase: $0.35 / $15.22 = 2.3%
Estimated Tax Increase:
- 2024 taxes with library district: $983 × 1.022 ≈ $1,005 (about $22 increase)

County Assessor Response (David Thunell)¶

Yes, property taxes are based on the assessed value of each property.
Yes, the tax rate for Prairie City was $14.8715 per 1,000 of assessed value.
$0.35 is just an estimate for the Library at this time, but yes, the tax rate would have been $15.2215 in 2024 if the library district was in place.
In 2024, your taxes would have been $1,006.53 instead of $983.40.

Comparison to a "Rich" District (Deschutes County & Baker County)¶

Per Capita Library Revenue Comparison¶

County	Deschutes County	Baker County	Grant County
Millage Rate	$0.55	$0.60	$0.35
Total Tax Revenue	$17.7 million	$1.44 million	$0.25 million
Population	211,535	16,484	7,093
Per Capita Revenue	$83.67	$87.39	$35.25