Budget crunches in rural counties

This post from last week on Rogue Pundit is meaty reading. It is very helpful in relating loss of timber money and base county property taxes. One particularly interesting paragraph:

“Add up the county numbers, and Oregon’s average base property tax rate is about $2.81 per $1,000…a number which is inflated a bit by the top two counties. Sherman County’s base rate is $8.7141 per $1,000, followed by Wheeler County at $8.5266 per $1,000, then Harney County at $4.5016 per $1,000. The Multco folks are next at $4.3434 per $1,000.”

Who would have guessed that Sherman, Wheeler, and Harney Counties would have higher property tax rates than Multnomah? Read the whole article; many Portlanders need more accurate information like this to help us understand the issues of funding state and local services.