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Online discussions about Lake Forest Park’s Proposition 1 have been laden with accusations, misinformation, and sidebar distractions. Out of frustration I created a list of facts and I want to share them. You can read about Prop 1 here which includes a link to FAQ
1. Passage of Prop 1 would not hike property taxes by 40% next year, as has been stated, but would increase gradually over a 6-year period, at which point the levy would end. Increases are strictly adjusted for inflation with a cap of 5% per year.
2. Prop 1 funds would be used for only public safety services, even though stored in the general fund; this would be written in law and would be tracked to provide transparency. And by state law, these funds cannot replace existing public safety spending.
3. “Public safety” is not only about sustaining our police department, but also about 911, emergency management and jail services, prosecution and public defense costs, crisis intervention and mental health programs.
4. Without such levies, WA cities can raise only 1% more in tax revenue each year, which doesn't come close to keeping up with inflation.
Does LFP need the money Prop 1 would bring in? The city has recently had to make cuts and dip into its reserves to cover expenses. Continuing to spend down the city’s reserves to patch the budget isn't a good practice for a municipality. Sooner rather than later the city would have to pay the piper. And in the event of a catastrophe, we are much less likely now to receive timely or adequate federal aid.
Let’s keep our community going strong and do what's sensible to meet our expenses. Vote Yes on Prop 1.
Gay Armsden
Lake Forest Park
Gay,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for sharing this information with the community. It is very well done and hopefully will reach people so they can make an informed decision. It is unfortunate that the misinformation continues each time the city attempts to try to move forward with improvements. We are a small city and we need to take this action to ensure the city can provide necessary services and improvements. I’m hopeful our citizens will make the right decision.
Linda Holman
Thank you Gary for your comment and information. In this time of misinformation it has been disconcerting to see how a small group of people in LFP can put in a lot of money into publishing misinformation to create fear in the community of LFP. LFP values the environment and that comes at a price as we cannot tax trees. Knowing this, many of us are also not comfortable spending down our reserves especially at this time when the federal government is not paying for things they used to pay for.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughtful comments. There is a lot of misinformation floating around and this is helpful.
ReplyDelete