This time, Carnation may have gotten it right. Although a small majority of city voters have historically rejected any proposed tax increases for police services—the ‘no’ votes outnumbered the ‘yes’ by as few as 23 in the last three ballot measures—they could be the minority in November.
Carnation’s Proposition 1 on the general election ballot is still a tax increase for police, but for increased coverage only. So, if voters approve the ballot measure in November, the city will have $70,000 to spend on things like extra night and weekend patrols and drug house surveillance, but not on the standard cost of the city’s service contract with the King County Sheriff’s Office.
“This would be for expanded coverage,” said Carnation City Manager Ken Carter, “not for normal inflation … the levy money cannot supplant existing general fund dollars.”
Inflation and other cost increases would be covered by the general fund, Carter added.
The city council spent many meeting discussing how to meet the city’s policing needs, a block watch, and the viability of a police services levy. Scott Allen, the city’s dedicated police officer under its contract with the King County Sheriff’s Office, suggested that most of the city’s needs could be met with an additional 800 service hours, at a cost of $70,000.
Allen and other officers will determine what type of work will be done in the additional hours, Carter said.
The council reached a general agreement on this approach at its July 15 meeting. Council member Erin Chamberlain cast the only opposing vote when the council voted to run the measure.
Proposition 1 asks voters to permanently raise the city’s “levy lid”—a 1 percent cap on annual tax increases—by $70,000. To property owners, the cost increase will be about $.40 per $1,000 of value, for a total rate of $1.84 per thousand. That’s about $120 in additional taxes per year for a $300,000 property.
As proposed, the increase is permanent, and so would increase the city’s future taxing authority. Lid lift revenues will be dedicated to increased police coverage. In the resolution, the council specifies that all Prop. 1 revenues “… shall be utilized exclusively to fund police services;” and “… shall not supplant existing funds for police services, but shall instead be utilized to supplement and enhance the level of police services.”
For the year, Carnation budgeted more than half of its general fund budget, about $600,000, on police and public safety. These costs include police at $500,000, plus public defenders a prosecuting attorney, and jail space, as needed. With the exception of jail expenses, Carter said all of the costs are coming in close to the amounts budgeted.
The jail issue, he said, “is a double-edged sword,” since the city wants to remove criminals, but has to pay the court and jail costs to do so. Jail space costs the city roughly $100 a day for a prisoner in the Issaquah jail and higher at the King County Jail. In response to the jail costs, Carnation has entered an agreement with Yakima for longer-term jail space, at a lower rate.
Although the city’s budget is not finalized for 2015, Carter said it will include an increase in the police contract costs with King County, and an increased budget for jail costs. He said court costs were not projected to increase much, if at all in 2015.
Voters must be registered by Oct. 4 to receive a ballot for the Nov. 4 general election. Ballots will be mailed to registered voters about 20 days before the election.
