Judge wise to block city income tax proposal
An income tax may ultimately be appropriate for financing Washington state government services, including higher education. But asking Olympia taxpayers to approve such a tax to pay for local high school graduates’ college tuition was inappropriate for a city initiative.
A visiting judge from Pierce County Superior Court struck down the proposed ballot measure last week. The initiative measure had drawn enough valid signatures to qualify for the fall ballot.
King County activists wanted to use Olympia as a test case for the legality of a graduated income tax, but it was clear early on that cities lack authority to enact such a tax. That is exactly what Judge Jack Nevin ruled.
Besides the illegality of the measure, the costs for an election and inevitable legal fights over the constitutionality of such a tax — if approved by voters — were not welcome.
Olympia has its hands full with other priorities that are more appropriate for a city — from parks to policing, housing, homelessness and the ongoing development of a downtown development strategy.
The council is just starting its discussions about police needs, which could lead to a ballot measure early next year to pay for walking patrols, body cameras for officers and potentially other needs related to helping mentally ill people who dwell along city streets.
The proposal from Thurston County housing advocates to raise new revenues in Lacey, Olympia and Tumwater for projects that fill gaps in transitional housing options could also go on a 2017 ballot. Voters just ponied up for parks in 2016.
There is a local campaign, Opportunity for Olympia, behind the income tax effort, but it’s clear that Seattle-based activists had selected the capital city for the legal test case.
We said early on that legal costs for the income tax measure should be borne by the outside interests that wanted to push Olympia into a new area that Washington cities haven’t been involved in historically: college tuition.
Tax advocates may well push their case on appeal. That is their right.
But they should also pay the city’s legal costs and, if they prevail, its election costs, too.
This story was originally published August 31, 2016 at 9:40 PM with the headline "Judge wise to block city income tax proposal."