Two very bad bills are looming in the State Senate that have specific implications for Snohomish County, but that the rest of the state should take notice of as well. One would turn a strip mall into a "city" for the purposes of taking tax money away from the state and county and giving it to a tribe, while the other simply doesn't do what it is supposed to do--save Snohomish County's youth playfields.

First off is HB 1721, described as "simplifying the concurrent taxing jurisdictions of the tribal municipalities and the state." What the bill actually does is deem Quil Ceda village--a strip mall owned by the Tulalip Tribe, which rents to tenants such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot--to be a city, at least for the purposes of collecting taxes.

Why do this? Well, Representative John McCoy, (D - 38), (who is the general manager of Quil Ceda Village) wants this shopping mall to be considered a "city" so the "city" could retain the city portion of the sales tax. This will take money directly away from both the County and the State, at a time when budgets are already tight--and sets a dangerous precedent for the rest of the state. This bill is currently in the ways and means committee. Go to SnoCoGOP.com for more information on how you can help defeat this bill.

Second, we have EHB 2241, the bill that is supposed to save Snohomish County ballfields that were built--with the county's implicit permission--on lands zoned for agricultural use. However, the bill is written in such a restrictive manner that it does no such thing. But don't take my word for it--that's the conclusion of the Snohomish County Prosecutor's office, who went over the bill with a finetoothed comb at the request of the county council.

The bill needs to be amended, but Hans Dunshee (D-44) is threatening anyone who attempts to amend or stall his version with deletion of their capital line items in his budget. For more information on the bill's problems, again go to SnoCoGOP.com.

Cross posted at The Flag of the World.