King County libraries seek property tax levy in Feb. election

For the Feb. 9 election, the King County Library System (KCLS) will ask voters to approve a property tax levy lid lift for one year. Proposition 1 seeks to restore the tax levy rate to 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for collection in 2011. If Proposition 1 passes, KCLS will be able to maintain its current level of services at all 44 libraries. The measure’s failure would lead to budget cuts between 10 percent and 15 percent across the organization, according to KCLS, which receives 96 percent of its operating revenue from property taxes. The cuts could result in reduced maintenance of facilities, reduced availability of computers and increased wait times for popular titles, KCLS said.

A homeowner would pay an increase of about $32 on a home assessed at $400,000 to restore the library property tax levy rate to 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Note: A levy lid lift is for operations, and a capital bond measure is for the building of facilities and other infrastructure.

The voter’s pamphlet contains a statement against Proposition 1. The statement calls the proposal a burden to taxpayers and said the proposal covers costly nonessentials including “entertainment diversions.”