Levy Lid Vote - What It Means If Passed

We took a call on the Morning News today from one of our great KIT listeners named Brian. (Thanks for listening Brian!)

He was seeking more information on the Property Tax Levy lid lift and how the money would be spent.

We shared what we recalled from previous news coverage and suggested a review of a recent Yakima Herald Republic (YHR) article for details..

In summary the city is looking to raise the levy rate from the current $2.70 per thousand dollars of assessed value by 40 cents to $3.10. That would add about an additional $80 in taxes on a Two-Hundred-Thousand dollar home.

, such as salaries, benefits, general liability insurance, police vehicle replacement, graffiti removal and crime prevention activiites.

The YHR reports, "City spokesman Randy Beehler said the city likely will have to reduce or eliminate city services if voters decide against the proposition. He pointed to past projects the city chose not to fund given a lack of resources, including a police department traffic unit that focused on semi-trucks, a police public information officer position, and a fire department public education and outreach position."

One last question. Does this make sense? The city council brought up the increase and voted to put it on the ballot themselves, not in response to any public pressure or group. and yet, as they YHR reports, "State law allows City Council members to advocate for or against a ballot measure. On Tuesday, the Yakima City Council voted 5-1 against passing a resolution in support of the levy lid lift proposition.....Council members said that while they believed the extra money was needed for city services and projects, they want voters to decide whether they wanted their taxes raised."

So, its council's idea, council cites the need and then declines to support their own idea so the voters can decide on their own? What? Can someone explain that?

Categories: Politics, Yakima News

Levy Lid Vote – What It Means If Passed