The results are in!
Readers responded to our challenge and checked a total of 162 addresses. Every address showed increases with the exception of a few who qualified for senior or disability exemptions due to excess levies.
The only way the District can maintain its claim that tax payments will remain the same is if the district charges considerably less than the 78 cents listed on the King County Assessor website. The district has promoted the rate as 66 cents in their bond material and marketing.
https://localscape.spatialest.com/#kingcountyassessor/Tax
The winners have chosen their $50 donation to go to the Des Moines Food Bank and the Highline Food Bank.
Thank you to everyone who participated. We hope this process has helped to better inform your voting decisions and opened your eyes to the need to hold those in authority at HSD accountable.
Here is the original post:
By A Highline School District Taxpayer
Highline District personnel repeatedly claim tax payments will not increase if the Proposition 1 school bond passes. They continue to say this despite acknowledging that the rate per thousand will remain at $4.40 per thousand of assessed value, not the $3.86 printed on page 48 of the voter pamphlet or available online. They seem to ignore increased valuations – the lowest increase we’ve heard of is 15%, and the highest is 26%. This is the amount local school taxes would increase: the full percentage of the increase in assessments. Read this original story, posted on Burien-News.
Does anyone own a property where taxes will go down or stay the same? Or can anyone find any place where the tax is forecast to drop, apart from dropping due to fire, landslide, demolition, or other major property change? Check your King County Tax Assessment here.
My challenge to you is to Find Someone Whose Taxes Won’t Go Up from the School Bond. If you can find a property, I will donate $50 to a local charity to the first person who responds by 8 AM on Monday, November 7th.
Local Charities Include:
Highline Food Bank, Tuned In Academy, Des Moines Food Bank, Transform Burien, Burien Cares, Pregnancy Aid in Des Moines, or the White Center Boys and Girls Club.
Please email info@gemofthesound with the properties, along with your name and phone number.
Additionally, if you cannot find a property whose taxes are forecasted to drop, contact me through the Gem, and tell me how many addresses you researched. The person who has tried the most addresses in the property tax forecasting tool will also get to direct $50 to a charity. (Yes, I’m on the hook for two $50 donations.)
You can check King County Tax Assessment and Proposition 1 Tax amounts here.
Here is the story from the Seattle Times, posted online on October 28th, confirming the rate is set to remain at $4.40 if the bond passes.
Again, here is the challenge: Send us a property that will not have a tax increase, based on an Approved Proposition 1, by Monday morning, the 7th, at 8 AM.
Good luck!
