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Initiative promoter Tim Eyman said today that his property tax measure, Initiative 1033, is close to having enough signatures to ensure that it’s on the November ballot.
“We’ve hit 270,000 signatures for I-1033,” Eyman emailed to supporters this morning. I-1033 would cap the growth of state, city and county general-fund taxes, with any dollars over the cap devoted to reducing property taxes.
To get a measure on the ballot, organizers need signatures from 241,153 registered voters. Since some people sign twice, or make up names, or aren’t registered to vote, etc., state election officials recommend a cushion of about 25 percent extra names.
Eyman says that his group’s validity rate is higher than average, at about 83 percent, meaning that 83 out of 100 signatures are deemed valid when the state runs a spot-check of the signatures to protect against fraud. So Eyman’s aiming for 292,000 signatures this year.
“We had an absolutely killer week last week,” he wrote. “Signatures really poured into our P.O. box in Spokane.” That’s where his colleagues, Jack and Mike Fagan, help administer the effort. Mike Fagan is also one of a crowded field of people running for Spokane City Council this year.
There hasn’t been much public opposition to the initiative yet, but opponents typically hold their fire until after a measure actually qualifies for the ballot, because most don’t.
NOTE: The description of I-1033 above was rewritten to more accurately describe it. RR
Richard Roesler covers Washington state news from The Spokesman-Review's bureau in Olympia.
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Steve Zemke on September 06 at 8:53 p.m.
It is more accurate to call I-1033 a freeze on all state and local public services. Doing a slight adjustment for inflation and population doesn't change the consequences much.
I-1033 would radically change state and local government by removing powers now given to elected officials to set budgets and spending priorities and turn any ability to spend money above the recession based spending of this year as the baseline over to a budget by referendum process..
In addition it is a wealth transfer scheme that would take sales taxes and other taxes paid over the baseline and use them to give a special property tax break to property owners.
Eyman with I-1033 says it is more important to help corporations and businesses and large property owners get a tax break than it is to fund educating our children, fixing roads, paying for police and fire protection, keeping our parks and libraries open and funding a number of other services cut as a result of the current recession.
Deciding budget priorities and spending by referendum and giving a special tax break to corporate and business property owners are bad ideas. Vote no on I-1033.
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Steve Zemke on September 10 at 10:00 p.m.
Imposing a freeze on public spending as Initiative 1033 does during a recession is one way to lock us into a permanent recession. I-1033 doesn't let state and local officials restore any of the program and job cuts imposed as a result of deceased revenue caused by the recession.
Colorado is the only state that tried this budget freeze approach and each year saw public services decline because costs exceeded any inflation adjustment. They recently suspended the measure as a failed experiment.
You can learn more about the failed Colorado experience by watching this video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbF3_C…
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