In some cases, property values have more than doubled over the last time they were assessed, and some residents say they believe the cash-strapped county is trying to raise revenue by inflating assessment values.

In one sign of the frustration, a sculpture of a pig with a sign reading "County Assessor" sits outside of a Shelton hydraulics shop, owned by Leroy Valley.

"(Taxes have) jumped real high," Valley said. "It's too high, really, for what we can sell our property for."

Valley didn't make the pig, but when its creator asked Valley to display it outside of his shop, he agreed because he felt many property owners had been hit too hard by the taxes.

Cherie Williams, who owns a home on Panther Lake, said the assessment on her waterfront property, "went up from $110,000 to $220,000, just in the property value alone."

Williams' home was last assessed in 2006.

"This is a common problem in our area," said Carol Stevenson, a real estate agent in the county, who said she sees the issue come up frequently.

Not every property in Mason County rose in value, and some went down.

But Stevenson said the increased assessments are hurting home sales because potential buyers are worried that taxes will continue to rise.

Lionel Harris claimed his property taxes are set to rise from about $4,500 per year to more than $7,000 per year because his assessed property value increased from $460,000 in 2006 to $757,000 in 2010.

His home is now on the market.

"It's just too much house for my income," Harris said. "It's tough. It's like forcing an elder person out of their house."

Kevin Crane has a unique perspective on the issue. He owns two lots, side by side; one in Mason County, and one in Kitsap County. The assessment on the undeveloped Mason lot went from $95,000 in 2006 to $206,000 in 2010. The Kitsap land, which has a home built on it, went down in value: from $114,000 to $103,000.

Kitsap County assesses property annually, while Mason County assesses every four years, but Crane said he believes the Mason numbers, no matter when the assessments were taken, are still too high.

"I think Mason County is poor," Crane said. "They need to raise revenue, and as a result, they're artificially inflating the land values of their property to bring in more revenue."

KIRO 7 said to Crane, "that's a pretty serious statement."

"And that's what I believe," Crane said.

KIRO 7 asked Crane about his undeveloped property: "If somebody saw this story and said, 'Hey, I think it's worth $206,000; I'll give you $206,000 for it,'" what would he do?

"Sold," Crane said.

Mason County Assessor Melody Peterson stands by the numbers. She refused to talk to KIRO 7 on-camera, but sent a letter, which explained, "during an increasing real estate market, assessed values may be below current market, while in a declining market, assessed values may be above."

Peterson also sent KIRO 7 a PDF containing information on property taxes, which was published by the Washington State Department of Revenue in 2005.

Crane, and most of the other frustrated property owners KIRO 7 talked to, have appealed their assessments. Those appeals are still pending.

Bud Grahn said that he told the woman who assessed his property, "if she would by that piece of property that she just raised, I’d sell it to her in a heartbeat."

The woman said, "no thank you," Grahn said.

Mason County Assessor Letter