Drafter
Clerk 07/13/2009
Title
AN ORDINANCE providing for the submission to the qualified electors of King County at a special election to be held in King County on November 3, 2009, of a proposition to provide health and human services to residents of King County by authorizing a property tax levy in excess of the levy limitation contained in chapter 84.55 RCW, for a consecutive six year period at a rate of not more than $_______ per one thousand dollars of assessed valuation, for the purpose of providing funding to enable the provision of health and human services such as housing, mental health counseling, substance abuse prevention and treatment, employment assistance and other essential health and human services for residents of King County and contingent on voter approval of the ballot proposition revoking the additional regular property tax levy authorized in 2005 by County Proposition No. 1 and Ordinance 15279 for any levy after voter approval.
Body
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. Chapter 73.08 RCW is titled "Veterans' Relief" and assigns responsibility for veterans' aid to counties. This provision was originally made in 1888 following the Civil War. RCW 73.08.080 establishes a specific property tax for counties to provide veterans' assistance for eligible veterans and their dependents. This statute requires counties to levy a property tax of between 1.125 cents and 27 cents per one thousand dollars of assessed value for veterans' assistance. This portion of the county's regular property tax levy amount is dedicated to veterans' relief.
B. The veterans levy was established by King County and first levied at a rate of $0.025 per one thousand dollars of assessed value but subsequent changes in state law limiting property tax increases in chapter 84.55 RCW and a recent initiative, Initiative 747, have reduced the effective rate.
C. Approximately 180,900 veterans live in King County representin...
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