King County: $10 a Year Would Fix $50 Million Deficit

Millions of dollars' worth of cuts at the King County sheriff's and prosecutor's offices are expected in 2017 because the county's general fund is facing a $50 million deficit.

“We’re going to be seeing cuts in what are frankly, some pretty essential services,” King County Budget Director Dwight Dively told KIRO 7 News on Tuesday.

Even though King County's growth is booming, Dively explained that counties already take a very small portion of all property taxes collected. State law allows county governments to raise property tax revenues by 1 percent each year.

Dively said King County's population grew 1.7 percent in 2015; inflation was up about 2 percent.

According to Dively, a 3.7 percent increase would help the county provide necessary services for its increasing population.  At the current 1 percent rate, Dively explained, the county is in the red.

“If we were able to keep up with inflation and population growth with our property tax revenue, we would not have a budget problem, and in fact we would be able to add services.”

Any increase in property taxes would come from the pockets of taxpayers. However, Dively claimed a little would go a long way. According to the budget director, the owner of a $450,000 home could expect to spend an additional $10 a year if property tax revenues for counties were allowed to be raised from the current 1 percent mandatory cap to about 3.7 percent.

“It’s very small,” Dively told KIRO 7.

When the Washington State Legislature reconvenes in January 2017, Dively said he’d like to see lawmakers allow counties to set rates based on need, as determined by population and inflation, not on a mandatory 1 percent cap.

Here's a video explanation produced by the County Executive's staff:

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