Property taxes due next week
Okanogan County property tax payments and irrigation assessments are due to the county treasurer this month, and must be postmarked by April 30. Taxpayers paying in two installments must pay the first half by April 30 and the second half by Oct. 31.
Payments can be made in person or by check to the Okanogan County treasurer, or by credit card via www.officialpayments.com (1-800-272-9829), where a processing fee of $25 per $1,000 will be added. For credit card payments, taxpayers will need to provide the jurisdiction number (5633), parcel number and amount owed.
Interest and penalties begin accruing on May 1 for any taxes not received by the deadline.
Property owners should have received a statement in February. Call the treasurer’s office at (509) 422-7180 or visit the website at www.okanogancounty.org/Treasurer for more information.
Information about exemptions for seniors or disabled persons is available from the county assessor at (509) 422-7190.
Prescribed burn planned
The U.S. Forest Service is planning a prescribed burn Thursday (April 23) or later in the week on the Lucky 2 unit, a 37-acre site about 8 miles northwest of Winthrop on the West Fawn Creek road near the Edelweiss community. The unit is ready for ignition, and the forecasted ventilation conditions later this week will provide for some good conditions to help mix and move the smoke, the Forest Service said in a press release.
Recovery effort needs volunteer housing
The Carlton Complex Long Term Recovery Group (CCLTRG) is in need of housing for volunteer groups coming to assist in the recovery and rebuilding efforts, the organization said in a press release this week.
Many groups are scheduled to help over the next six months and will need housing, the release said. Residents who have a large home they are willing to share, a vacation home, a home that is only used seasonally, or other facility that can be used for housing six to 10 people or more in the Pateros, Brewster, Chelan or Methow areas are asked to contact Kathy Power, CCLTRG volunteer coordinator, at (509) 429-3133.
Local volunteers are also needed for a variety of burn and flood clean-up, fencing and building projects. Businesses, churches and nonprofits willing to get a team together and give a morning, an afternoon or a weekend, are also asked to contact Power.
The Carlton Complex Long Term Recovery Group is a county-wide body coordinating the effort to restore the properties devastated by last year’s Carlton Complex Fire. For more information, visit www.carltoncomplexrecovery.com.
Winthrop chamber urges keeping parking free for visitors
An early opening for the North Cascades Highway and inviting weather have created a spring influx of visitors, as anyone who has frequented downtown Winthrop can attest. To make the experience manageable for tourists and residents alike, the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce board of directors is asking its members to be aware of and observe downtown parking ordinances.
Parking is limited to four hours on Riverside Avenue and Bridge Street from May 1 to Oct. 15. The chamber is encouraging business owners and employees to park elsewhere, in areas such as the parking lot behind the Tenderfoot, along Castle Avenue, in the Winthrop Barn parking lot, or at the Town Trailhead, if they don’t have on-site parking behind their buildings.
“Each parking space in town equals dollars spent in town each day, and it is a significant benefit to you and your businesses if they are kept available for paying customers,” the chamber board said in a letter sent to its members this week.
Town employees must also adhere to the ordinance. For more information about parking ordinances, call Town Hall at 996-2320.
