Seattle Mayor Scraps Proposed $275M Property-tax Levy

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Mayor Ed Murray is scrapping a proposed property tax levy that would have raised $275 million over five years to pay for homeless services.

Murray told the Seattle Times editorial board Monday that he is moving away from the property-tax idea in favor of a 2018 county ballot measure that would boost sales tax to fight homelessness.

Murray had pitched a potential property tax levy in August as a way to raise $55 million a year in new taxes to fight homelessness. Backers of the proposed citizens' initiative have been collecting signatures to qualify the measure for the August ballot.

Murray said Monday that partnering with the county on a 0.1 percent sales-tax hike would raise more money a city levy could. It would also give the city and county more time to make reforms to its current system.