Port of Coupeville approves levy, secures funding for wharf repairs
Port of Coupeville commissioners voted November 10 to adopt an Industrial Development District tax levy at a rate of $0.45 per $1,000 assessed value, projected to raise about $1.25 million in its first year. The levy will fund designated capital projects such as wharf repairs and historic roof replacements, giving the port a local revenue stream to leverage grants and pursue preservation work.
In a public meeting on November 10, Port of Coupeville commissioners adopted an Industrial Development District tax levy that will take effect this fiscal year. Set at $0.45 per $1,000 of assessed property value, the levy is estimated to generate roughly $1.25 million in its first year. Because the port created an Industrial Development District to fund capital projects, commissioners were able to adopt the tax without placing the measure before voters.
Revenues from the levy are restricted to the capital projects listed in the updated Comprehensive Scheme of Harbor Improvements. Projects proposed in that plan include repairs and replacement of piles and wharf substructure, seismic stabilization of the wharf, and roof replacements at Greenbank Farm barns. The funding is intended to address both urgent structural work and long term historic preservation needs tied to the port and its waterfront assets.
The Industrial Development District structure gives the port flexibility to adjust the levy rate in later years within statutory limits, providing a predictable local revenue source that port officials expect to use to match state and federal grants. The board and the executive director described the levy as a necessary tool to fund prioritized capital work and to leverage grants. That approach is designed to reduce the gap between available external funding and the full cost of complex harbor and historic preservation projects.
For Island County residents, the levy means property owners within the district will pay an additional assessment based on their assessed value. The added revenue is earmarked exclusively for the listed capital improvements rather than general operations. Local businesses and maritime operations that rely on the wharf and port infrastructure stand to benefit from upgrades that improve safety and resilience, particularly the seismic stabilization work planned for the wharf substructure.
The decision to levy taxes without a public vote rests on state law provisions that permit taxing districts to create Industrial Development Districts for capital financing. Commissioners emphasized that the measure provides an immediate tool to begin prioritized work and to pursue grant opportunities that often require local matching funds.
Next steps include developing project timelines, pursuing matching grants, and beginning prioritized repairs as funding becomes available. The adopted levy gives the Port of Coupeville a new revenue mechanism to maintain aging maritime infrastructure and protect historic assets, while anchoring those efforts in a defined plan that restricts spending to the projects identified in the Comprehensive Scheme of Harbor Improvements.
