HEADED TO NOVEMBER BALLOT: Countywide Veterans, Seniors, Human Services tax levy

The King County Council voted today to send the Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services property-tax levy to the November 7th ballot, after reducing the rate from 12 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to 10 cents, which is double the rate of the levy this one will replace. Here’s what the official county announcement says the money would go for:

Veterans: To plan, provide, administer and evaluate a wide range of regional health and human services and capital facilities for veterans and military servicemembers and their respective families.

Seniors and caregivers: To plan, provide, administer and evaluate a wide range of regional health and human services and capital facilities for seniors and their caregivers or to promote healthy aging in King County.

Vulnerable Populations: To plan, provide, administer and evaluate a wide range of regional health and human services and capital facilities for vulnerable populations.

You can read the documents related to the legislation – co-sponsored by our area’s County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who is also the council’s chair – by going here; the actual bill finalized today is here.

24 Replies to "HEADED TO NOVEMBER BALLOT: Countywide Veterans, Seniors, Human Services tax levy"

  • 98126res July 20, 2017 (6:48 pm)

    10 cents and 15 cents means nothing …. Elections needs to multiply out what the actual levy would add to property taxes for low, middle, and expensive homes.  and to what we already are paying. 

    • WSB July 20, 2017 (8:15 pm)

      The math is pretty simple. 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. $1 per $10,000 of assessed value. $10 per $100,000 of assessed value.

      So if your property is assessed at $500,000, that’s 50 dollars per year. $400,000, it’s 40 dollars per year. Etc.

      • 98126res July 21, 2017 (1:59 pm)

        yea … it’s the constant layering, on top of taxes we already pay.  taxpayers deserve complete transparency and breakdown re city’s finances, and audits of how revenues (all time high) and taxes are spent, effectiveness and waste.

  • TJ July 20, 2017 (6:54 pm)

    Nope. Absolutely not. Sorry county council, the well is officially dry now. We have been inundated by 4 taxing agencies; the state (recently passed budget soaks us here), the county, the city (too many tax increases, levies, and fee increases to list), and Sound Transit taxing authority. Isn’t the county putting this crazy arts tax on the ballot as well? As far as this levy, I thought veterans affairs was a federal issue? And sorry, I’m sure I’ll come across as mean, but I am tired hearing about “vulnerable populations”. Guess what? The middle class is the vulnerable population now. 

  • M M July 20, 2017 (7:39 pm)

    As a new property owner (who just received a notice of 30% increase in assessed value) I  feel like I’m being hit by a tidal wave…and it seems unfair and makes me nervous.  I’m a retired person and didn’t plan on additional expenses like this.

    I know, poor me, …but still.  As the previous writer said, the middle class especially feels the crunch with property taxes.  I feel caught in the middle of a funding war I didn’t ask for.  I’m even conflicted about the arts tax!  It does make me feel endangered, to always be seen as the source of added funding.  What can we do???

    • Taxes July 20, 2017 (9:23 pm)

      I don’t know if you’ll find this comforting or not…

      Your taxes don’t automatically go up because your assessed value did.  The money they need for the general fund is divided by total property value in the jurisdiction so you pay a percentage of that based on your piece of the pie (so to speak) rather than it being a direct correlation.  

      You can look up your new tax bill online at the assessor’s site and see what it will be now, then ask yourself if you can afford $35 (or $50 or whatever) a year for the arts or an additional $20-25 for veterans based on that number (the veteran one is replacing an existing levy so your net increase is only half the total levy).

    • wb July 21, 2017 (5:50 pm)

      You could afford to buy in West Seattle?  You’ve already won the lottery.

  • Mark Schletty July 20, 2017 (7:42 pm)

    Another “sounds good” slush fund. As a veteran and a senior the best thing voters can do for me is to vote NO. I’m being taxed out of my home. 

  • flimflam July 20, 2017 (9:36 pm)

    this is a homeless levy disguised as a “help the elderly and vets” levy.

  • Swede. July 20, 2017 (9:49 pm)

    And the assessments of home value will be done by the same people that do the ST3 tabs. So way more than actual value! 

    And soon there will be another add-on for the $300 million they need to redo the non-compliant disable access sidewalks…

    • WSB July 20, 2017 (10:12 pm)

      The assessments of home value are done by the King County Assessor. I’ve never seen ours assessed at anywhere near its alleged market value (usually way low). Could be an anomaly, your assessment may vary.

      • Bronson July 20, 2017 (10:28 pm)

        My assessment just came in $100k over an appraisal I had done in July for a re-fi. Ridiculous.

        • AMD July 20, 2017 (10:45 pm)

          Then you should appeal the assessment.  It’s a pretty easy process and that appraisal will help.

          Most people’s homes are assessed at less than their market value.

        • KM July 21, 2017 (7:03 am)

          Something is not right with either the assessment or appraisal in this case. I would look into both.

      • Swede. July 20, 2017 (11:28 pm)

        Ooh i can’t afford to own a house anywhere near WS! I’m just a middle class worker…

  • AJ July 20, 2017 (10:07 pm)

    PLEASE VOTE NOOOOOO!!!!!

  • WS Guy July 20, 2017 (10:31 pm)

    Seattle:  new taxes on Thursdays, new apartment buildings on Mondays.

    Your vote can make it stop.

  • Mark July 20, 2017 (10:36 pm)

    Does the tax proposals ever stop?  Maybe a resounding NO vote will send the message enough already.  Property taxes are the worst, especially for people on fixed incomes.  

  • TJ July 20, 2017 (10:40 pm)

    “To plan, provide, administer, and evaluate”…the tagline for government mismanagement. “Provide” is the only thing of substanance. The others are typical government waste. And you are right flimflam, this is a disguised homeless levy. Who qualifies as “vulnerable”? Seems to me that seniors would be a “vulnerable” population. Veterans to a extent too one could assume

  • DH July 21, 2017 (7:59 am)

    I hope that the people saying no to this are not the same people telling the city/county to do something about the people under the WS bridge because this tax will pay for the something.

    Also the state voted for a strict limit to property taxes without a vote so we get all these votes asking for funding. 

    I do understand the challenges of paying this. I will be voting no on the arts tax, sadly.

  • dcn July 21, 2017 (12:36 pm)

    I don’t understand why the levy rate has to double on almost every levy that comes up for renewal. The skyrocketing property values (my home’s assessed value has gone up by $150k in just 2 years) and new home/condo construction should provide enough extra funds without the need to also increase the levy rate per $1,000 of assessed value.

    It is ironic that a levy to help the elderly might also cause them to need the help because they are being priced out of their homes. 

    I would vote for more of these levy renewals if the rates were kept the same. My property taxes would still go up, since my house is worth significantly more every year. As it is, my 1-2% annual pay increases on my lower middle income can’t keep up with the tax increases and new taxes the city/county/state keep levying, and I will eventually be priced out of Seattle too.

  • wetone July 21, 2017 (5:31 pm)

    Big NO from me. Until city’s spending habits and priorities change my NO’s won’t either.  Our government has given city away to investment companies with little accountability and basically ZERO $$$ going towards infrastructure. Within the next 5-7yrs there is going to be a huge tax levy to fix/repair roadways, bridges and utilities as all was never designed handle capacity and weight caused by increased heavy usage of busses, big trucks and car traffic.  Water, sewer/waste and gas lines are of age of replacement also in much of Seattle. As they say,  you ain’t seen nothing yet.  City is spending quicker than it’s collecting like a pyramid scream……  

    • WSB July 21, 2017 (6:47 pm)

      This is a county levy, not a city levy.

  • wetone July 21, 2017 (9:35 pm)

    County or city doesn’t matter as city dewellers are going to pay. Murray and Constantine have and continue to poorly prioritize projects.

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