In 2007, the Washington Legislature took a vote that set Washington’s cities and counties on a collision course to monetary emergency for the subsequent 20 years.
I used to be one of many legislators who supported it, and it was the only worst vote I took in my profession.
We voted to reinstate a 1% annual cap on property tax will increase for cities and counties, after the State Supreme Courtroom had struck down an earlier model. Initially an concept from Tim Eyman, voters accredited Initiative 747 in 2001 over sturdy opposition from native authorities leaders throughout the state. After the court docket struck it down, the Legislature had an opportunity to discover a higher answer. As an alternative, we handed it again into legislation.
Now we dwell in Edmonds, the place we moved earlier this 12 months to dwell close to household and our first grandchild. I additionally moved right here to benefit from the parks, dwell the place roads and different infrastructure are maintained, have the police come after we want them and to show my grandchildren methods to swim on the metropolis pool.
It solely took just a few weeks of dwelling right here for me to see that my vote from 18 years in the past haunts my new dwelling, placing all of those civic sources in danger.
As a former finances committee chair, I oversaw the drafting of the state’s working finances. I’ve seen firsthand how our state’s income construction places cities in an more and more tough place to fund important companies.
Cities rely closely on property tax to fund operations. However the Eyman cap is uncompromising, staying at 1% even when inflation, labor prices and repair calls for far exceed that.
Within the final 4 years, inflation averaged 4.9%, however metropolis property taxes solely went up by 1% per 12 months. This cover was put in place with out regard for financial realities and has grow to be a severe barrier to monetary sustainability for cities.
It’s a typical false impression that almost all of your property taxes go on to cities. In actuality, utilizing Edmonds for instance, their basic fund in 2026 will obtain solely about 9% of the whole property taxes that residents pay.
Peer cities like Kirkland, Bothell and Shoreline have confronted the identical pressures Edmonds is dealing with now. That’s why they, and lots of different cities, have needed to resort to levy lid lifts — to not increase authorities unnecessarily, however to easily keep the police, parks, roads and primary companies residents count on. That is the one escape hatch given to cities by Initiative 747, granting them the power to transcend the 1% cap if the voters approve it.
Edmonds has postpone this dialog longer than many neighboring cities and is left with only a few selections. With out new income from this levy, Edmonds should reduce core companies to inadequate and inappropriate ranges or think about promoting off public property like parks and the historic Frances Anderson Heart.
I get it. Nobody likes to pay larger property taxes. Throughout my time within the state Legislature, we took steps to guard our most weak residents, together with seniors, lots of whom qualify for exemptions. The opposite choices that cities are confronted with — like chopping 911 response occasions or promoting parks to builders — are solely short-term fixes and won’t clear up long-term structural issues.
If I may return to 2007, I might inform myself to cease the re-enactment of Initiative 747, and to search out one other solution to honor the voters’ need for decrease taxes. At present’s actuality — one the place cities are dealing with devastating cuts except they ask voters to approve extra income assortment — is just not a vivid one.
I’m blissful to be dwelling in Edmonds, however I’ll be happier if Proposition 1 passes.
