And levies are on the PRIMARY ABSENTEE BALLOT!

Parks! Woodland Park Zoo!

No wonder Ron Sims wanted "vote-by-mail" !

Seattle Times: Warning: Tax hikes becoming permanent

Senate Bill 5498 reversed the old "if-it's-not-marked-permanent-it's-temporary" rule. I wondered why the Woodinville and the Northshore Fire Districts were posting "Vote Yes To Continue Current Funding" signs all over the place. Now, we know! If we're tricked into voting "Yes," their needing to grovel to voters for trips to the public trough never has to happen again.

Also, the Northshore Fire Department has signs for "Vote Yes for the New Station." Well, the "station" happens to be an "administration station" -- new space for new managers near the corner of 73rd and SR-522 -- across the street from the existing firestation.

"On the surface, Senate Bill 5498 allows fire districts and other special-purpose taxing districts to ask voters for multiyear tax increases. It is the same authority cities and counties already had.

The nonobvious part of the bill changed the old rule that unless a tax levy said specifically it was permanent, it wasn't. Under the old rule, after a levy expired, Washington's 1-percent property-tax limit would be set as if the levy had never happened. If voters didn't renew the levy, their taxes would go down.

Under SB 5498 -- a governor's-request bill passed by large majorities in both houses -- unless a tax levy says it is temporary, its authority is permanent. So says the Department of Revenue in an official memo to county assessors."