Ensuring sufficient funding for police services is an important budget priority of the Carnation City Council. If approved, Proposition 1 would provide additional revenue that would be specifically used to increase and enhance police services. The City currently has 40 hours per week (2,080 hours per year) of dedicated weekday police coverage. The revenue generated by Proposition 1 would provide an estimated 832 hours per year of additional dedicated evening and weekend patrol, and/or fund special operations such as drug investigations.
State law allows cities to “lift” the cap on regular property tax levy increases by obtaining voter approval of the proposed increase. The City’s regular property tax rate is currently $1.48467 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. If Proposition 1 is approved, the City’s tax rate for collection in 2015 would increase by $0.35458 to $1.83925 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
For properties valued at $350,000, landowners currently pay approximately $519.63 per year in City of Carnation property taxes. Under Proposition 1, this amount would increase to $643.74 for collection in 2015, which is an increase of $124.11 per year or $10.34 per month.
The 2015 levy amount would become the base upon which levy increases in subsequent years would be computed.
For questions about this measure, contact: Ken Carter, City Manager, 425-333-4192, kenc@carnationwa.gov
