Whatcom County sets tax rate for voter-approved children’s levy
Whatcom County Council members authorized a voter-approved property tax levy for child care, early learning programs and other services, a step that was required after ballot Proposition 5 passed in the Nov. 8 election.
Council members approved collection of taxes at the rate of 19 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, after previously considering a plan to collect 16 cents per $1,000 and “bank” the extra taxation capacity.
An estimated $10 million will be collected this year, about $2 million more than was originally thought because of recent higher property tax valuations.
It was approved on a 4-2 vote Tuesday, Dec. 6, with councilmen Tyler Byrd and Ben Elenbaas opposed and councilwoman Kathy Kershner absent.
In addition, the council established a Healthy Children’s Fund where money collected from the tax will be kept until it’s spent on programs for children and families as described in the ballot measure.
“To me, it comes down to voter intent,” said Councilman Barry Buchanan, as council members discussed the measure setting the tax rate.
“My vote was with the full understanding that it was 19 cents. I think the clarity was there,” he said.
Controversy had stirred before Tuesday’s vote among supporters of the ballot measure who were concerned that collecting less money than voters approved would underfund child-related programs and also add fuel to a possible legal challenge against the measure.
Council President Todd Donovan said during a committee session earlier Tuesday that council members were being inundated with emails about the plan to lower the voter-approved rate.
“I’m not kidding, like hundreds an hour,” Donovan said, with the emails’ authors claiming that council members were “stealing” from poor children.
Council members met in executive session Tuesday to discuss potential legislation related to the measure, but no details were released and no action was announced.
The measure itself passed by 20 votes out of 108,580 ballots cast after a coordinated effort to “cure” ballots that had been rejected initially for reasons such as the lack of a signature.
Members of the Yes for Whatcom Kids campaign used workers affiliated with the Whatcom Democrats, which had endorsed the measure.
At a 2.5-hour public hearing held before the council vote Tuesday, many speakers urged the council to set the levy rate at 19 cents and make sure the funds were used only as they were intended.
“Proposition 5 is the long-held dream of many of the people who are here tonight,” said Kim Lund, former executive director of the nonprofit Bellingham Public Schools Foundation.
“It’s a tangible act of love for our children. It reflects the world that I want to live in, the community that I want my children to grow up in,” Lund told the council.
“We have children showing up to kindergarten who have never held a crayon before. We can do better,” Lund said.
Heather Flaherty, executive director of the Chuckanut Health Foundation and a member of the Yes for Whatcom Kids Campaign, also urged the council to enact the measure the way it was presented to voters.
Opponents have claimed that the council would use funds for other purposes, she said.
“What we campaigned on was the benefits of the fund for children and families, and our community as a whole and also on accountability.”
Others criticized the effort to “cure” ballots that ensured the levy’s passage — an effort that’s allowed under election law — and claimed fraud without offering proof.
