Bill aiding Malden, Pine City homeowners signed by Inslee

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill that will provide temporary property tax relief for Whitman County residents who saw their homes destroyed by wildfires last year.

Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, sponsored Senate Bill 5454, which exempts any Washington resident who lost a home to a wildfire in September from paying property taxes on the full value of the home for three years if it is being rebuilt or physically improved.

According to a news release from Schoesler’s office, more than 120 residences in or near the Whitman County towns of Malden and Pine City were destroyed by a Labor Day wildfire.

Statewide, 298 homes were lost in the September wildfires. In all, more than 700 structures were lost.