11/20/2007: "State Assessors’ Vote to Protect Taxpayers"

The Washington State Association of County Assessors’ Executive Board, on behalf of all County Assessors’, has unanimously voted to propose legislation reenacting the 1% Limit and forbidding the use of “enhanced banked levy capacity” created by the Supreme Court ruling that could allow some jurisdictions sizeable tax increases above the intended 1% limit.

According to the Association, the vote reflects desire of the Assessors' to "protect and preserve the wishes of the voting public concerning I-747".

WSACA Legislative Committee Chair, Yakima County Assessor Dave Cook, says, “The county assessors in Washington State are convinced that it is of paramount importance to the taxpayers that the Legislature acts quickly and decisively and responds to this issue.”
“Simply reinstating the 1% Limit doesn’t solve all of the problem; you have to take away the temptation to use the enhanced banked levy capacity created by the Supreme Court Ruling” as well, Cook went on to say.

The proposed action is two fold:
• Reenact the 1% Limit as it existed prior to the Supreme Court decision;

• Amend the highest lawful levy statute in such a way as to remove the “enhanced banked levy capacity” created by the recent overturn of I-747.

The Assessors’ hope to reinstate the 1% limitation as well as maintain the banked capacity as it existed in law prior to the Supreme Court ruling; therefore not unduly penalizing those prudent taxing districts that have not taken the full 1% increase as allowed in previous years.