-August 11,2023-
Kings County Assessor’s office announced recently that property values in the county for 2023/24 jumped $1.1 billion to $14.9 billion. That is an increase of 8.5%, the largest increase since 2008.The increase in the property rolls the year before was 4.5%.
The surprising jump comes even as nearly 134,000 acres of farmland is flooded due the heavy runoff this spring.Some 808 parcels in the county are under water as of June 30, valued at $211 million says the assessor’s report to the Board of Supervisors. Kristine Lee is the county’s Assessor/Clerk/Recorder.
So what has led to the increase in valuation? The report points out that 8 new housing subdivisions with 924 lots joined the rolls.It adds that the market for homes was up during the first half of this year.One half the county property valuation is from housing.
In addition to homes, solar farms grew in the county adding $63 million to the rolls in a year with a total of $132.5 million attributed to solar installations. More large solar farms are on the drawing board.
Oil and gas valuation was steady at $53 million.
On the minus side some 260 parcels were sold to California High Speed Rail removing $27.4 million from the rolls.
Looking at increases in value, the City of Hanford saw a value increase of 9.8% and Avenal climbed 9.4%. Lemoore had a more modest increase of 5.8% and Corcoran was up 6.8%.
Commenting on the economy the Assessor says consumer confidence in the US was 109.7% as of June – the highest since January 2022. Kings County has not felt the downtown seen in metro areas of California but could still see reduced activity in the next year or year and one half, the report adds.
Bug off
California Office of Emergency Services has confirmed that $6.3 million in disaster relief have been spent on aerial spraying and other mosquito abatement strategies in Kings and Tulare counties due to flooding this spring.
Wet conditions mean fewer fires this year
As of early August 2023 – 24,229 acres had burned in California since Jan. 1, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. That’s 82% less than the state’s 10-year average and is the lowest of any year since 1998.
The reason for the state’s good fortune now, experts say, is water. Lots of it says the Mercury News.
“I was in the mountains this past week,” said Scott Stephens, a professor of wildland fire science at UC Berkeley. “Things are green. Streams are flowing. It’s still wet.”