King County Local Voters Pamphlet

Sept. 16, 2003 Special Elections

WOODINVILLE FIRE & LIFE SAFETY DISTRICT

PROPOSITION NO. 1
AUTHORIZING INCREASE OF EXISTING PROPERTY TAX LEVIES

The Board of Commissioners of Woodinville Fire and Life Safety District adopted Resolution No. 2003-8 proposing to levy a regular property tax of One Dollar and 00/100 ($1.00) per One Thousand Dollars ($1000.00) of assessed value upon all the taxable property within the District in 2003 for collection in 2004. This shall not be construed to authorize an excess levy and shall be subject to otherwise applicable statutory dollar rate limitations. Shall the proposition be:
APPROVED
REJECTED

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

If approved by the voters, the proposition will authorize the District to levy regular real property taxes at a rate not to exceed $1.00 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation. The actual levy rate will be established by the Board of Commissioners. The current levy rate is 80 cents per thousand dollars of assessed valuation.

The levy will continue to be a regular property tax levy subject to the statutory exemptions and is not an excess levy.

The District Board has found that the tax levy and the revenue it will produce is necessary to maintain the current level of services, fire fighter staffing, equipment and apparatus to continue to improve services for the protection of life and property in the District and to enhance public safety.

Restoring the property tax regular levy to one dollar will allow the Board of Commissioners to reduce the amount of the District benefit charge.

STATEMENT FOR

WFLSD has served our community for over 54 years. The staff provide vital emergency services in addition to fire prevention and public education activities. We need to provide the fire district the ability to continue to provide us with these services.

The purpose of Proposition 1 is to meet the requirements of initiative 747 by asking the voters to reauthorize the fire district to collect $1.00 per thousand of assessed valuation for one year. The district can only collect the $1.00 (rather than the $1.50 other fire districts are allowed to) because the district also has the benefit charge.

The fire district administration has worked diligently to operate in a responsible manner. They have been able to provide excellent services, and make capital purchases and improvements, such as a new fire station, increased firefighter staffing, and purchase a new ladder truck, fire engine, and two aid cars in the last 18 months without having to ask voters to approve a bond issue.

A YES vote on PROPOSITION 1 will allow the fire district to continue to provide the excellent level of service, in protecting our community, and operate within the constraints of I-747.

Thank YOU for voting YES and helping to PROTECT our COMMUNITY.

STATEMENT PREPARED BY: Linda Lane, Tom Beacher, Dale Larson

STATEMENT AGAINST

No Statement Submitted.

COMPLETE TEXT OF THE PROPOSITION

WOODINVILLE FIRE & LIFE SAFETY DISTRICT
RESOLUTION NO. 2003-8
RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR THE SUBMISSION OF LEVY

(SPECIAL ELECTION)

A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF WOODINVILLE FIRE & LIFE SAFETY DISTRICT, PROVIDING FOR THE SUBMISSION TO THE QUALIFIED ELECTORS OF THE DISTRICT AT A SPECIAL ELECTION TO BE HELD WITHIN THE DISTRICT ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2003, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE STATE PRIMARY ELECTION TO BE HELD ON THE SAME DATE, OF A PROPOSITION AUTHORIZING A LEVY OF A PROPERTY TAX NOT TO EXCEED $1.00 PER $1,000.00 OF TRUE AND ASSESSED VALUATION SUBJECT TO OTHERWISE APPLICABLE STATUTORY LIMITATIONS.

Background: WHEREAS, it is the judgment of the Board of Commissioners of the District that it is essential and necessary for the protection of the health and life of the residents of the District that fire and emergency medical services be provided by the District. The accelerated demands for, and increasing costs of, providing these services will necessitate the expenditure of revenues for maintenance, operations and equipment in excess of those which can be provided by the District's regular tax revenue levied at the current rate per $1,000.00 of assessed valuation of taxable property within the District as limited by the 101% limitation.

Resolution: NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Commissioners of Woodinville Fire & Life Safety District, King County, Washington as follows:

Section 1. In order to provide fire protection, prevention and emergency medical services in the District, it is necessary for the District to obtain operate and maintain emergency fire and medical aid vehicles and facilities staffed by properly trained personnel equipped with suitable fire fighting and emergency medical equipment.

Section 2. In order to provide the revenue adequate to pay the costs of providing adequate life protection services and facilities as described in Section 1 and to assure the continuation of such services, the District shall, in accordance with RCW 84.55.050, remove the limitation on regular property taxes imposed by RCW 84.55.010, and Initiative 747 and levy beginning in 2003 and collect beginning in 2004, pursuant to RCW 52.16.130 and RCW 52.16.140, a general tax on taxable property within the District at a rate of $1.00 per $1,000.00 of assessed valuation subject to otherwise applicable statutory limits.

Section 3. The District currently levies a regular property tax at the rate of $.8081 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

Section 4. There shall be submitted to the qualified electors of the District for their ratification or rejection, at a special election on September 16, 2003, in conjunction with the state primary election to be held on the same date, the question of whether or not the regular property tax levy of the District should be restored to $1.00 per $1,000.00 of true and assessed valuation, subject to otherwise applicable statutory limitations. The Board of Commissioners hereby requests the auditor of King County, as ex-officio Supervisor of Elections, to declare that an emergency exists and to call such election, and to submit the following proposition at such election, in the form of a ballot title substantially as follows:

PROPOSITION

Woodinville Fire & Life Safety District - Board of Commissioners - Proposition
Authorizing Increase of Existing Property Tax Levies.

The proposition will authorize the Board of Commissioners of the District to restore its regular property tax levy to an amount not to exceed $1.00 per $1,000.00 of assessed valuation. (This shall not be construed to authorize an excess levy and shall be subject to other applicable statutory limits.)

Should this Proposition be enacted into law?

Yes

No

Adoption: ADOPTED by the Board of Commissioners of Woodinville Fire & Life Safety District, King County, Washington, at a special open public meeting of such Board on the 15th day of July 2003, the following Commissioners being present and voting:

Signed by five Commissioners

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