Seattle Forward

The Facts About Seattle Taxes

There has been a lot of talk recently about city taxes, the need to cut back, angst over so-called "out of touch City Council members," and reports from advocacy groups that Seattle is pushing out the middle class because of rising taxes.  Of course, none of this is true.

Since, 2004, city-imposed property taxes have declined.  Take a look at the chart below which shows city-imposed taxes per $1,000 of assessed value of real property, those from other jurisdictions (i.e., Port of Seattle, King County, school district), and the combined total.  (Seattle's property tax rate is the bottom or diamond line.)

The tax rate is multiplied by assessed value to compute the actual property tax due.  For example, a property owner with a home assessed at $476,000 would pay $3,922 in property taxes in 2009 based on the rates in the chart below.  ($8.240 per $1,000 assessed value tax rate times $476,000 in total assessed value equals $3,922.)

The 2009 figure for Seattle is a projection which assumes that both the Pike Place Market and the Seattle Parks for All ballot measures will be approved by city voters on November 4. (Get the above chart here:  Download property_tax_chart_102808.pdf

So, when you hear pundits cry that Seattle city government is increasing taxes, take a look at the facts first. Remember, too, that the property tax you pay is determined by the rate (set by governments with taxing authority) and by assessed value (set by the King County Assessor based on marketplace conditions). 

Now, that being said, an argument can be made that city budgets have risen dramatically in recent years, significantly above the rate of inflation, and that the combination of taxes, services fees, and  utility rates, plus the burden of King County, Port of Seattle, and school district imposed taxes and fees, have combined to create a difficult economic situation for many.  This reality was clearly in mind yesterday as the Council considered utility rate increases proposed by Mayor Nickels. 

Council central staffer Tony Kilduff (in white shirt in photo taken from my seat on the dais) presented his thoughts on long-term City Light capital spending, warning us that capital investments today lead to higher electric rates later. 

The Council will spend all day Thursday and Friday pouring over various issues related to the city budget for 2009 and 2010.  More on all this to come . . .

Auditor's Report on Police Obstruction Arrests

The civilian auditor of Seattle police internal investigations, Kate Pflaumer, has released a report on police obstruction arrests.  The report examined "obstruction only" arrests for a two-and-a-half year period from January 2006 through July 2008 involving officers who made multiple obstruction arrests.  The auditor concluded that there "was no apparent pattern of abuse of discretion." 

Other key findings include the fact that only 16 officers—out of approximately 1,200—had "three, four or five" obstruction only arrests in the review period, an average of less than one every six months.  No Seattle officer had more than five obstruction only arrests.  A total of 76 cases were reviewed; 14 were chosen because they resulted in misconduct complaints being filed with police and the remaining 62 were selected because the primary arresting officers had made multiple obstruction arrests.

Fifty-one percent of those arrested were African American, 37.5% were White, 10% were Asian, and two of those arrested were classified as "other."  The auditor wrote in her report, "In fact these percentages are not different from those reflected in arrests for violent felonies." 

The auditor's review of obstruction arrests was requested by Mayor Nickels after the Seattle PI published a series of articles about obstruction arrests.  Read the auditor's full report:  Download opa_auditor_obstruction_report_10808.pdf.  The auditor's report includes other conclusions about arrest screenings, officer training, citizen access to the Office of Professional Accountability, and steps the police department has taken to improve transparency and accountability. 

Vancouver's Core Density

Vancouver, Canada—This is a great city.  The downtown core is alive, beautiful, global and growing. 

The photo above shows a pedestrian walkway at Burrard Inlet adjacent to downtown.  Towers like those in the photo dot the edges of downtown; tall, skinny, angled, and set back these towers are designed to let sunlight flow around them and keep view corridors open. 

Construction cranes dot the skyline here in Vancouver.  They are everywhere.  Decisions about urban growth have been made in favor of clustering density—at least in the downtown core—in these towers.  Open space, pocket parks, and pedestrian walkways are key features linking the tower clusters. 

Back home in Seattle we face similar decisions over the next few months.  How best to allow for urban growth while protecting the character of our neighborhoods, creating affordable workforce housing, remaining sensitive to environmental stewardship concerns, and making sure the city remains a wonderful place to live. The City Council will make decisions over the next year that could result in Vancouver-like density towers in South Lake Union, Northgate, SoDo, and perhaps even at light rail and transit stations, although probably much shorter at these latter locations.

A key factor when reaching decisions about density is how best to create public places.  A great organization with excellent resources, guides, and ideas is the Project for Public Places. 

Friday Events

I attended two events last Friday related to public safety. 

One event honored firefighters who have given their lives in service in our city.  The event was held at the fallen firefighter memorial in Occidental Park near Pioneer Square.  Three names were added to the memorial list:  Battalion Chief James Scragg and Firefighters Tim Heelen and Nate Ford.  There are now 34 firefighters memorialized.  I was honored to meet the widows of Chief Scragg and Firefighter Ford.

Scragg, Heelen and Ford lost their lives in the line of duty but not in a manner we typically expect.  All three died from the effects of long careers as firefighters—cancer and heart failure. Friday's memorial service was a reminder of the deadly impact fire fighting can inflict over a lifetime. 

The other Friday event recognized two police officers and a civilian police employee who had gone the extra mile in helping victims of domestic violence.  There are few crimes that cause such widespread impact, injury, fear, and community damage.  Domestic violence is both an intensely personal crime and a crime against the soul of our city.  October is DV awareness month. 

A Unified Council

The Council released a letter this week regarding the Mercer Corridor project.  Every member except Councilmember Licata signed. Download city_council_mercer_letter_oct_2008.pdf.

This project will be discussed at a public forum Monday evening at 6 p.m. here at City Hall. 

Read my earlier post regarding Mercer Street here.