The City of Redmond has a proposition on the May 16th ballot for a significant increase in the property tax levy rate.
FAIRedmond (Financial Accountability in Redmond), which opposes the levy increase, has set up a blog with information about the levy proposal.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at May 04, 2006 11:31 AM | Email ThisAnytime you hear the government, or a politician - especially the liberals - use the word fair you know that they're after your (oops, they think it's their) money.
Hold onto your wallets! Just wait until Deanron gets this idea onto the next KC ballot.
Posted by: Obi-Wan on May 4, 2006 01:03 PMIf you own a $500,000 home, that would be the difference for you. $350 bucks. Not living in Redmond, I would think it would probably be worth it.
gee, didn't Redmond just build a shiny new city hall?
Posted by: oh boy on May 4, 2006 01:27 PMI will vote yes when more roads are built.
I will vote yes when billons are not promised to art groups that will surely do nothing with it but put up bizarre no boundaries soul insulting garbage.
I will vote yes when politicians serve instead of bending me over and spending my money on biodiesel run by bankrupt monorail losers.
I will vote yes when the department of corrections realizes evil depraved humans that have killed millions do not need to be part of discussions on diversity.
I will vote yes when someone at any level of government will dare to count my vote taken at a polling location rather than shred my vote and make up bogus reports and elect queens.
I will vote yes when the state government realizes this is not a country.
I will vote yes when little loser loiyers from San Juan County don't go judge shopping to a evil communist judge in Thurston County that pervert the law and claim a talk radio show is somehow in violation of laws that violate all of us.
I will vote yes when government want to serve rather than tell me how is going to be buddy.
I will vote yes when I-601 is followed. Shocking….yes when the law is followed by government.
I will vote yes when hip urban liberals have 65% of their cawfee shop converted to wilderness to save the planet or I can pick a blackberry again on my land.
When will you vote yes again?
Oh and BTW when we vote no finally and then keep voting no get ready for the lawsuits and mandatory existence contributions by indentured humans required to pay forward looking obligations developed in the back rooms by unions and politicians.
See to the City of Redmond this is a mere formality they will make you serve them.
But the problem is not that. You have to add in all the other tax increases that are proposed from local to State to Federal, including library, monorail, Sound Transit, Sonics, etc. etc. Then, when you add those in, it is a lot.
The question you need to ask is why the cost to provide those services is so high. If you ever have done business with Redmond, you would know. They seem to think everyone who wants to do business has the financial resources of a Microsoft.
Talk to some of the employees, existing or past or old-timers still there. They will tell you a story.
It is unbelievable that with B&O taxes, and the likes of the shopping centers, Microsoft and whatever else is there that Redmond can't make ends meet. It is totally mind-boggling.
Sure, dad, $30 per month isn't bad; after all, who isn't for good police, schools and fire?
But you need to think outside the box and ask, "why can't Redmond make it without a levy?" Then, you will have your answer and solution.
Posted by: roosi trey on May 4, 2006 01:55 PMWhen it is much more than they are taxing, they threaten the people they represent with taking away everything at the top of the priority list. Then say we need more money if you really want to have these things.
An example in Issaquah. The spent millions to "upgrade" route 900 between I90 and Newport Way. "Upgrade" is a code word for putting in a bunch of bus lanes and lights just for busses. No sooner was it finished then residents were asked for an increase in property taxes to go back and change all the lights to be synchronized on green. Of course everyone wants that! Why not do it when it was renewed? Then they ripped out all the side walks. Put in massive pilons. Cut them in half and put an elevated walkway onBOTH sides of the street that no one walks on anyway. Who benefited form this raised walkway? Why was so much extra material bought? Stop this waste before threatening to take away the primary responsibility of governemnt.
Do you honestly think if people were given the choice of something like that in Redmiond do you think the citizens of Redmond would choose elevate walkways that no one uses instead of the police? But some politician wants these meaningless projects so the only way to finance them is to threaten to take away needed services.
But libs never see that. Government is good. Government knows what is best for us. Please Sir, may I have another monorail!
Posted by: Fred on May 4, 2006 01:58 PMAs for Redmond, I think a lot of it comes from career politicians who have been around way past the sell-by date, especially Rosemarie Ives who has been relected at least three times since I've been here (although in the most recent election I had to vote for her because the alternative was an activist liberal who would have been far worse...)
Posted by: Vexorg on May 4, 2006 02:13 PMIf funding for these services grew at the rate of population growth plus inflation, there wouldn't be a problem. But then politicians couldn't spend increased revenues on things the voters generally object to.
Posted by: MJC on May 4, 2006 02:22 PMUse "special" levies for the social or specialty "one-off" programs.
Posted by: SouthernRoots on May 4, 2006 02:27 PMI HATE special elections!
Posted by: dfs on May 4, 2006 02:44 PMNot unlike Tacoma School District 10...they built a new High School (Mt. Tahoma) for $90 million bucks (to reduce class size) and they did not have enough “TEETCHERS” to fill all of the classrooms!
Tacoma built a new convention center for $125 million...to compete with the “AROMA DOME”...now they both lose $7 to $10 million bucks a year!
Tacoma bought the Carlton Building for $3.5 million because it had an emergency need for office space (in a market with 75% occupancy rate) and the sold it two years later for less!
I can go on and on about Tacoma’s incompetence, but beware “Billy Bumble” Baarsma and John “Chambers Creek” Ladenburg are gaining in there control of the Puget Sound politics!!!
Sidebar: Seattle’s “good” Mayor Nickels use to work for Ladenburg in Tacoma!!!
The City of Redmond (starting with the mayor and an impotent city council) has totally abandoned any semblance of a "priorities in government" approach to delivery of services. This city could be run well with at least 20% fewer employees if they concentrated on the most important things that residents require and leave the fluff in the hands of Ron Sims and the King County Council. :)
If you want to get involved in this effort in Redmond, email me at dmcarson@hotmail.com.
David Carson
Redmond