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Orcutt urges school districts to use caution
following passage of simple majority measure
House
Republican Finance leader says taxpayers already hit hard this year
Reacting to apparent
voter approval of
House Joint Resolution 4204,
Rep. Ed Orcutt
expressed concern for property owners and schools across Washington.
The Nov. 6 ballot measure
would allow school levies to pass with a simple majority (50 percent) in
contrast with the previous supermajority (60 percent) requirement. It
originally appeared to be failing. However, newly counted ballots from
King County pushed the measure toward passage by nearly 11,000 votes
this morning. About 41,000 votes remain to be counted.
Orcutt, who serves as
ranking Republican on the House Finance Committee, urged school
districts to use the new authority carefully.
"Two previous decisions
this year have threatened to slam homeowners very hard with higher
taxes.
Senate Bill 5498, approved by the Legislature, made it easier for
local governments to increase property taxes. Then last week, the state
Supreme Court threw out
Initiative 747 which had held annual levy increases to 1 percent,"
said Orcutt. "If school districts seek higher taxes because of the
lower limits, this could be the third strike, creating significant
hardships for homeowners, property owners, and first-time homebuyers."
By Wednesday afternoon,
the measure was passing in only eight of the state's 39 counties.
However, two of those counties where the measure is passing, King and
Snohomish, are the highest populated in the state.
Orcutt, R-Kalama, noted
that in
other counties where the measure failed, many citizens are finding it
difficult to keep their homes and pay their taxes. Orcutt called for
both school districts and other taxing districts to show restraint.
"School districts have
been held to the same standard as everyone else. Now that those
standards have been lowered for them, I'm worried that the other taxing
districts will be asking for their thresholds on excess levies to be
lowered as well," noted Orcutt. "Taxpayers are already at their limits.
We should not open the flood gates for other taxing districts.
"I'm also very concerned
for our schools and how this will affect the passage of future bond
issues which still require 60 percent approval. When schools seek more
money under the new simple majority requirements, it will put added
strain on local property taxpayers. It will make bond issues less
affordable and put them at risk of failure," added Orcutt.
"I would strongly advise
school districts to use caution. If school districts
aggressively use this new authority to squeeze additional money from
taxpayers, there could be a backlash -- even a taxpayer revolt," he said.
Orcutt says the
Legislature needs to take action immediately to provide tax relief for
struggling homeowners and property owners. The 18th District lawmaker is
leading efforts to call for a special session during the Legislature's
"Interim Committee Assembly," which is scheduled for Nov. 28,
29 and 30.
"Legislators will already
be at the state Capitol, so we should take advantage of
that time to pass legislation implementing the 1 percent limit voters
had previously approved with Initiative 747," said Orcutt. "Because we
will already be in Olympia, there will be no additional cost to hold a
special session. However, there will be huge costs to the taxpayers if
we don't."
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For more information, contact:
John
Sattgast, Senior Information Officer: (360) 786-7257
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