Initiatives

City of Spokane, Proposition One

A $117 million bond measure to fix Spokane’s streets.

Cost: The measure would raise property taxes an estimated $68 a year on a $100,000 home. Bonds would be sold to raise the money, and the work would be paced out over 10 years.

The issue: Spokane has an estimated $200 million backlog of broken, rutted streets. The proposed bond issue would fix about half of the problem, including 37 miles of arterials, 52 miles of residential streets and other projects. In all, as many as 110 miles of streets would be rebuilt or paved.

Proponents said they had few other choices than to seek a property tax measure. The state Legislature allows local governments only a handful of choices for raising extra money to fix streets, they said.

Most of the streets proposed for repair are not eligible for state or federal grant money. They must be repaired with locally generated funds, officials said.

But Spokane voters have been a tough sell on street issues in the past, and some critics say the city should find another way to pay for street repairs, rather than burdening only property taxpayers.

Mayor Jim West has made street repair a cornerstone of his first year in office. In an effort to improve voter confidence in street spending, West has proposed – and the City Council has approved – the formation of a seven-member citizen street commission to oversee street spending and the bond issue.

STate Initiative 892

Would allow more slot machines statewide as a way to lower property taxes. The initiative would allow up to 18,000 electronic slot machines in restaurants, bars, bowling alleys, nontribal casinos and card rooms. A 35 percent tax on the machines would pay for the property tax cuts.

Tax impact: One remaining question about I-892 is how much relief taxpayers would get. Sponsor Tim Eyman says the revenue on the games will be $400 million, “the largest property tax cut in state history.” But state officials predict the tax relief would actually be only $252 million, or $32 on a $100,000 home.

State Initiative 884

Would increase the state’s 6.5 percent sales tax by a penny to fund education and create a trust fund for three areas of public education – pre-school, K-12 and higher education – with oversight by a board of citizens. It would provide raises for K-12 teachers and is supported by the 76,000-member state teachers union, the Washington Education Association, and by both candidates for state schools chief. Opponents say the increase would hurt families and business, and would be particularly hard on border towns like Spokane.

Tax impact: Sales tax paid on a $100 purchase would rise from $8.50 to $9.50 in Spokane County, counting state and local sales taxes, including the recently passed public safety levy. If approved, the levy is expected to generate more than $1 billion per year starting in 2006. Next year, it would provide just $164.5 million because the levy would take effect in April and the fiscal year ends in June.

State initiative 297

A measure to require the U.S. Department of Energy to clean up waste at Hanford Nuclear Reservation before it is allowed to bury any more there.

State Referendum 55

The measure asks voters to decide whether Washington should have charter schools. It would also let school districts convert failing public schools into charter schools.