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I've called Lake Forest Park home since 1966, when my family moved to Hamlin Road. I was two years old. My brothers and I spent our childhood roaming the woods around McAleer Creek—always outdoors, always safe. That sense of safety and community is what makes LFP special.
Here's what I've learned after ten years on the LFP Planning Commission: we're not alone in facing budget challenges. Right now, Bothell, Kenmore, Shoreline, and Edmonds residents are having the same conversations about their local levies. Washington's 1% property tax cap means Lake Forest Park can only increase revenue by $34,500 annually while costs rise far faster. It's a structural problem created by state law.
The difference? We have an opportunity to fix this proactively, before it becomes an emergency. Lake Forest Park faces a documented $700,000 annual gap between what public safety costs and what the city can raise. Right now, we're covering this by draining savings. That's not sustainable.
Prop 1 addresses this head-on. It maintains our police department and emergency services, stops the drain on savings, and protects our financial stability before we're forced into crisis mode. It's legally restricted to public safety, raises a fixed $1.2 million annually, and sunsets after six years.
I haven't voted yes on every tax initiative. But this time, the need is clear, the solution is transparent, and the alternative—waiting until savings run dry—leaves us with far fewer options.
I'm voting YES on Prop 1. Let's band together to help our community stay strong when it needs us most.
Richard Saunders
Lake Forest Park
Taxes never sunset. In six years they will come back and say we need $700,000 + x more and it will sunset after y years etc. etc. The more you give them the less efficient government will be.
ReplyDeleteAt least my no vote cancels yours.
I understand your skepticism about government spending—I share concerns about efficiency, which is one reason why I spent a decade on the Planning Commission.
ReplyDeleteBut here's what Prop 1 actually does:
- Sunsets automatically in 6 years (legally required)
- Raises a fixed $1.2 million annually (not tied to property value growth)
- Legally restricted to public safety only
- Requires transparent, separate tracking
Yes, the city could come back in 6 years with another request. But that means voters decide again. That's accountability, not a trick.
The alternative is draining savings until we hit crisis mode with fewer options. I'd rather fix the roof while the sun is shining.
Thanks for voting—that's what matters most.