Acme Materials Takes Lead In Domestic Violence Awareness

Across America, each year an estimated 4 million women are battered by husbands or boyfriends, and 3.3 million children witness it, reports the Family Violence Prevention Fund in San Francisco.

In this community, the Spokane County Domestic Violence Consortium reports that four out of 10 homicides last year were domestic-related killings. In just the first seven months of this year, says consortium executive director Jennifer Pearson, there have been 3,685 reported incidents of family battering, resulting in 1,962 arrests.

“Domestic violence is tearing families and communities apart,” Family Violence Prevention Fund spokeswoman Sarah Varela told me in calling attention to the efforts of a Spokane firm to curb the carnage.

Tuesday was observed as Domestic Violence Workplace Education Day in offices and factories across the nation. And in Spokane the Acme Materials & Construction Co. - a company that employs primarily men - led the way.

In last week’s pay envelope, the company’s 900-plus male workers received a personal note from Acme chief executive Steve Robinson alerting them to Workplace Education Day activities. At each of Acme’s eight worksites in Spokane, Tri-Cities and North Idaho, baskets of donations were collected for local women’s shelters and for the Transitional Living Center.

Children of employees took part in a coloring contest centered on happy families. Posters and brochures throughout the worksites focused on family violence.

Why would a male-dominated construction company like Acme take up a women’s issue? “It’s not just a woman’s issue,” says personnel director Wayne Brokaw, driving force behind the effort. “We all have loved ones - sisters, daughters and granddaughters - whose happiness and security come first with us as providers and protectors.”

“Very impressive,” observes Varela.

It may come as a revelation to Spokane property owners, whose valuations and taxes have skyrocketed the past couple years, but taxes aren’t as high as they might seem.

A special report by the Washington Research Council on 15 Washington cities shows Spokane in the middle of the pack in terms of effective property tax rate.

Among municipalities studied, Bellingham has the lowest per capita property tax rate. Bellingham’s tax rate is just $10.44 per $1,000 market value.

Tacoma has the highest property tax rate - $15.80 per $1,000 value.

Spokane’s rate is $12.77.

But living costs in Spokane top Tacoma in the latest consumer price index compiled by the American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association.

The association’s Cost of Living Index for the second quarter in Spokane shows overall consumer prices were 6.8 percent higher than the national average for hundreds of participating cities.

Seattle doesn’t participate. But in the same market, Tacoma’s living cost are 3.7 percent higher than the national average on the index, making parts of the Puget Sound significantly cheaper than Spokane.

But not as cheap as the Tri-Cities, normally thought of as an expensive place to live compared to Spokane. In this survey, Richland-Pasco-Kennewick’s living costs are the lowest in the state - a fraction under the national average and way below Spokane.

But the Tri-Cities did it the hard way, with a steep plunge in housing values.

Until recently, the Tri-Cities led the nation in housing price increases, month after month, quarter after quarter, for years. Home costs ratcheted up and up. However, in this index, the Tri-Cities housing costs are ranked as the cheapest in the state - 7 percent below the national average, contrasted with Spokane at 23.1 percent above the national average.

Washington’s most expensive place to live? Skagit County - 11.7 percent higher than the nation.

As usual, New York City (Manhattan) tops the nation - 126 percent higher than the average. That’s right, two and a quarter times more expensive than most places. Runnerup San Francisco is only 64.3 percent, or twothirds, higher than most others.

Portland is 7.4 percent higher.

In Idaho, Boise is 3 percent above average. The Panhandle doesn’t take part in the survey. In Montana, Missoula is 2.2 percent above, and Helena is 5.1 below.

Bill Clinton’s home town of Little Rock wins the prize for cheapest place in America to live - 16.8 points below average.

The research association says comparisons between quarters are not valid, because the number and mix of participants varies.

, DataTimes MEMO: Associate Editor Frank Bartel writes a notes column each Wednesday. If you have business items of regional interest for future columns, call 459-5467 or fax 459-5482.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Frank Bartel The Spokesman-Review