King County voters will see a property tax levy on the April 28 special election ballot seeking funds to replace the county’s emergency radio system.
The County Council approved the ordinance 8-1 to place the nine-year property tax levy lid lift on the ballot. Councilman Pete von Reichbauer voted against the measure.
The lid lift allows the county to collect property taxes above the state limitation.
According to Councilman Joe McDermott, the sponsor of the ordinance, the levy will replace the county’s emergency radio system. McDermont said at the March 2 council meeting the levy would raise $273 million.
According to county staff the vendor support of the current radio system will end in 2018, which is used by police and fire agencies.
David Mendel, Regional Communications services manager, said after 2018 the vendor “level of support” for the radio system will end and the risk of catastrophic failure of the system increases.
According to a county release the current system has been in place for about 20 years. It consists of 26 transmitter sites and multiple interconnecting microwave and fiber systems supporting more than 100 agencies and about 16,000 radio users, each with a portable radio handset and/or installed mobile radio in a vehicle. The system was designed to serve a smaller population over a smaller area when it went online. If approved the new system would provide improved coverage within the existing service area.
Von Reichbauer expressed concerns that some fire districts’ budgets will be affected by the levy and were not included in the earlier discussions about replacing the system.
“The lack of communication in the executive’s office (Dow Constantine) is disappointing,” von Reichbauer said.
Councilwoman Jane Hague said she would vote for the ordinance but noted she had difficulty getting information from the executive branch on the issue and was, “less than enthusiastic about the process that has lead up to this council discussion.”
Hague said she was also concerned about the short time available before the measure will go before the voters.
McDermont said the levy is an effort to make sure a replacement system is in place before 2018 when the risk increases for a system failure.
“Making sure we can provide for this emergency communication is a paramount duty, I believe, of King County and the council,” McDermont said.
A release from the council stated the levy lid lift rate would be .07 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Based on the 2015 median home value in King County, the cost to the median homeowner would be $26.46 per year.
The emergency radio system is used to dispatch police, fire, emergency medical personnel and allow responders to communicate with each other at those incidents. The system is owned in equal shares by King County, the city of Seattle, Valley Communications Center and the East Side Public Safety Communications Agency.
The proposed levy lid lift authorizes the county to collect property taxes in excess of the levy limitation set by state law in RCW 84.55.
