Jezza has it right. The "square root" is a tool to ensure that large property owners don't get hit with a big tax increase, and those costs are shifted to small property owners. Because big property owners are more likely to mount a campaign against the RFA, the consultant has proposed an approach that shifts costs to small business and residential consumers. This is reverse Robin Hood at its worst.
This proposal would eliminate the Olympia Fire Department and the Tumwater Fire Department, replacing it with a Regional Fire Authority with a separate board. That means our elected City Council will no longer set priorities and budgets. A quietly elected "special purpose district" would get to set the budget, set the taxes, and control the RFA. The opportunities for voter involvement will be minimal. (Can you name your Thurston Public Utility District board members? Can you name your Olympia School Board members?)
What Jezza does not mention is that the proposal is structured in a way that it would sharply cut funding for Olympia Parks. We voted in 2004 and again in 2016 to increase funding for parks. This measure would diminish parks funding by about $1 million per year. And they keep trying to hide that fact.
It's time for the Olympia and Tumwater City Councils to abandon this regressive proposal. If they need more money for adequate fire protection, the solution is to put a Levy Lid Lift before the voters. With a 50% approval, they can sharply increase property taxes. But those higher rates will apply equally to large and small homes and to large and small businesses. Much more fair.
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