KING COUNTY ONLY

KING COUNTY PROPOSITION NO. 1
REGULAR PROPERTY TAX
LEVY FOR MEDIC ONE
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES

Shall King County levy a regular property tax each year for three consecutive years, beginning in 1998, to be collected beginning in 1999, at the rate of $0.29 or less per $1,000 of assessed valuation for the continued provision of existing Medic One emergency medical services, all as provided in King County Ordinance No. 12944?

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

If approved by the voters, Proposition No. 1 would authorize King County to levy a regular property tax at a rate of $0.29 or less per one thousand dollars of assessed valuation on all taxable property within the county for the purposes of the continued provision of existing Medic One emergency medical services. The levy would be authorized for a three-year period, with collection beginning in 1999.

The City of Seattle operates and funds a separate Medic One emergency medical services program which serves the residents of the City. If Proposition No. 1 is enacted, all revenues collected during the three-year levy period from property located within the City of Seattle would be reimbursed and transferred to the City. Revenues collected from taxable property outside of the City of Seattle would be used to finance the county Medic One emergency medical services program.

The proposed levy is a regular property tax levy in addition to the statutory tax rate limits imposed by state law. It is not subject to the 106% limitation on levy increases provided for by state law for the first levy imposed, but is subject to that limit for the remaining two levies.

STATEMENT FOR

Every year Medic One saves lives. In 1996 alone over 130,000 people received emergency medical help.

Medic One provides vital services. It sends firefighters and paramedics to provide on-the-spot treatment and transportation to hospitals. Our Medic One has the nation's highest survival rate for cardiac arrests, the most common life-threatening emergency.

People often think that this only happens to someone else. But you never know when you or someone you love might need it. For just 29 cents per $1,000 in assessed value, Proposition 1 will keep Medic One responding quickly and effectively over the next three years while permanent fund-ing is explored.

This Medic One levy is not a new tax, but rather the continuation of the existing program.

In November, 57 percent of King County voters voted "Yes," but it takes 60 percent to pass the levy. That makes your vote all the more important. Medic One deserves your support.

A No vote does not reduce, but entirely eliminates the levy as a method of providing funds for this world renowned paramedic system.

MEDIC ONE saves lives . . . SAVE MEDIC ONE.

We urge you to VOTE YES on Medic One.

REBUTTAL OF STATEMENT AGAINST

King County voters have supported Medic One for nearly 20 years, making it a world-renowned system.

Now it is being kept alive by temporary funding that ends in six months.

Medic One provides life-saving emergency medical service to all 1.6 million King County residents whether in cities or rural areas.

King County residents deserve a long-term solution.

If we want Medic One to continue saving lives, we should say "Yes" to Proposition 1.

STATEMENT PREPARED BY: MICKEY EISENBERG, CHRIS MERRITT, PETE LUCARELLI

STATEMENT AGAINST

The EMS levy did not have to pass for Medic One to continue. Money is available. The county proved it. Medic One is being funded without a levy and without higher taxes. Someone is putting out bad information.

EMS should be funded before other services. Small budgets, big budgets, if any money is available, Medic One and other essential services should be funded first. 84% of the voters agree. The choice is not difficult. Governments already have the money.

Going back to funding EMS with property taxes alone is wrong. Because of tax increases, the money going to Medic One has more than doubled, sometimes tripled regardless of how much service you receive.

Under the levy, every property owner pays. Seattle gets it all back. Mercer Island only gets back 22%, Federal Way 58%, and Redmond 38%. All cities are not equal. Seattle gives up nothing, yet Seattle will vote on how much you get to keep for EMS. That's wrong.

Governments have the money to fund Medic One and if Medic One is not the best, it will not be because we voted no. It will be because the elected officials decided to spend our money on something else.

REBUTTAL OF STATEMENT FOR

Life support needs permanent funding now, not in 3 years. Will politicians keep their promise? We can't wait 3 years to find out.

The old levy's gone. We don't need new ones. Medic One is being funded. Taxes are lower. Parks didn't close. Essential services didn't suffer. They even added services. The money's there.

Let's save Medic One, not this levy. We need account-ability, not promises. Keep funding life support as it is. Vote NO.

STATEMENT PREPARED BY: ROBERT STYLE, ROBERT ANDERSON, WILLIAM DORSEY

COMPLETE TEXT OF PROPOSITION NO. 1

ORDINANCE NO. 12944

AN ORDINANCE relating to the funding and provision of Medic One emergency medical services; providing for the submission to the electorate of King County, at a special election on February 3, 1998, a proposition imposing the levy of a regular property tax each year for three years, collection beginning in 1999, at a rate of $.29 or less per $1,000 of assessed valuation, to continue to provide Medic One emergency medical services; and declaring an emergency.

PREAMBLE: Emergency medical services, publicly known as Medic One, are a well-integrated, publicly-funded, emergency medical service system that is designed to provide an efficient and effective response to medical emergencies. The Medic One emergency medical services system includes a tiered response system that includes basic life support services provided by fire department and fire district emergency medical technicians, advanced life support (paramedic) services, and regional support programs and services that provide medical oversight and direction, citizen and emergency personnel training, planning, public education, and other support programs and services.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the nation and in King County. The delivery of paramedic services in King County has tripled the survival rate of victims of cardiac arrest; the initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation by bystanders or emergency medical technicians has doubled hospital discharge rates.

King County supports Medic One emergency medical services as a regional service that requires a continuing leadership role for the County. The County should continue to exercise its leadership and assume responsibility for assuring the orderly and comprehensive development and provision of Medic One emergency medical services throughout the county.

The concern for assuring a county-wide Medic One emergency medical services program is shared by King County cities and fire protection districts who participate in Medic One emergency medical services programs.

Medic One emergency medical services provided to county residents should be high quality and should meet uniform service delivery standards.

The demand for Medic One emergency medical services has grown over the years, however, such demand has not been accompanied by a stable source of revenues.

Medic One emergency medical services are essential and should be afforded a stable and discreet funding base.

RCW 84.52.069, as amended, recognizes the needs and concerns described above and provides a funding source for the provision of such emergency medical services.

The provision of Medic One emergency medical services on a county-wide basis is a public purpose of King County. In order to assure such a provision of services, it is both necessary and appropriate that an additional regular property tax of $.29 or less per $1,000 of assessed valuation be levied as provided for in this ordinance.

Reimbursement and transfer to the city of Seattle of all tax revenues collected pursuant to the levy provided for in this ordinance against taxable property located within the legal boundaries of the city of Seattle will not affect the county's ability to provide Medic One emergency medical services throughout King County.

The King County council on September 8, 1997, as a companion to the ordinance authorizing the November 4, 1997, election on emergency medical services, passed Ordinance No. 12849, the preamble of which states, "(T)he current, near total reliance on a six-year voter-approved levy puts the [emergency medical services] program's funding in regular jeopardy and connotes that the county considers it an optional program...(T)he county council is committed to researching more secure, permanent funding sources for this important program."

The county council supports the proposed three-year, $.29 per $1,000 assessed value emergency medical services levy and other actions described herein as a bridge to a new financing structure for the emergency medical services system that is more secure and more permanent, and which establishes an immediate departure from "business as usual" in the funding of the emergency medical services system.

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:

SECTION 1. Approval of cities over 50,000 population. Pursuant to RCW 84.52.069, as amended, approval to impose this additional regular property tax will be obtained from the legislative bodies of all cities in the county over 50,000 population, effective not later than December 19, 1997 before it is submitted to the electorate of King County on the special election ballot of February 3, 1998.

SECTION 2. City of Seattle reimbursement. It is recognized that the city of Seattle operates and funds a Medic One emergency medical services program that is separate from the county program. During the period of this three-year levy, as set forth herein and as authorized by the qualified electors of King County, all tax revenues collected pursuant to such three-year levy from taxable property located within the legal boundaries of the City of Seattle shall be reimbursed and transferred to the city.

SECTION 3. Type of levy. Pursuant to the authorization in RCW 84.52.069, as amended, this levy is a regular property tax levy in addition to the statutory tax rate limit of RCW 84.52.043 and is not subject to the 106% limitation of RCW 85.55.010 for the first levy imposed, but is subject thereto for the remaining two levies.

SECTION 4. Levy rate. The rate at which this levy shall be submitted to the voters shall be the rate of $.29 or less per $1,000 of assessed valuation each year beginning in 1998 for three consecutive years, with collection of the taxes to begin in 1999 for three consecutive years.

SECTION 5. Deposit of funds. The share of this collection designated for the city of Seattle under Section 3 of this ordinance shall be deposited into the Seattle Emergency Medical Services Tax Fund and dispersed from this fund. All other funds collected under this levy shall be deposited into the county emergency medical services fund.

SECTION 6. Ratification by voters. This three-year levy must be approved by a majority of at least three-fifths of the electors of King County voting on the proposition, at which election the number of persons voting "yes" on the proposition shall constitute three-fifths of a number equal to forty percentum of the total votes cast in King County at the last preceding general election when the number of electors voting on the proposition does not exceed forty percentum of the total; or by a majority of at least three-fifths of the electors of King County voting on the proposition to levy when the number of electors voting on the proposition exceeds forty percentum of the total votes cast in King County in the last preceding general election.

SECTION 7. Call for special election. Pursuant to RCW 29.13.010, it is hereby deemed that an emergency exits requiring the submission to the qualified electors of the county at a special election to be held on February 3, 1998, of a proposition authorizing the previously described three-year levy for Medic One emergency medical services. The manager of the division of records and elections shall cause notice to be given of this ordinance in accordance with the state constitution and general law and to submit to the qualified electors of the county, at the said special county election, the proposition hereinafter set forth. The clerk of the council is hereby authorized and directed to certify that proposition to the manager of the King County division of records and elections in substantially the following form:

Updated: February 3, 1998