(Editor's Note: Initiative 1033 co-sponsor Tim Eyman wrote this op-ed for the Times/News in response to the SeaTac City Council passing a resolution stating its opposition to the measure.)

Here's what we're debating with I-1033: how fast should the government grow and who should decide? I-1033 takes the position that the public sector should grow at the same rate as the private sector (unless voters OK faster growth) and it should be the citizens, and not the politicians, who decide.
I-1033 brings back successful policies passed by the voters previously. In 1993, during tough economic times, voters approved I-601, which put reasonable limits on government's fiscal policies.
I-601 established a sustainable rate for government to grow, saying it could grow at the inflation rate plus population growth.
It included a safety valve that said if government thought I-601's automatic increase wasn't a big enough increase, they could go to the voters and ask for an even bigger increase.
I-601 worked very well for many years until the Legislature started putting loopholes in it. Those loopholes removed I-601's reasonable fiscal discipline.
The result? Two major deficits - $3.2 billion in 2003 and $9 billion in 2009.
Those loopholes allowed them to take their budgets on a fiscal roller coaster, overextending themselves in good times - creating unsustainable budgets - and then slashing during bad times.
I-1033 gets us off that fiscal roller coaster by reestablishing I-601's same reasonable allowance for growth allowing higher increases with voter approval.
So what happens to excess tax revenues that government collects above I-1033's limit? After a fixed percentage of tax revenue is transferred into the constitutionally-protected rainy day fund, the remainder of excess tax revenues gets refunded back to taxpayers via lower property taxes.
Opponents of I-1033 pushed really hard for higher taxes and a state income tax during this year's legislative session.
Opponents are against ANY limit on government's growth and against ANY restriction on government's power to take as much as they want from the taxpayers.
Property taxes keep going higher and higher and government keeps getting bigger and bigger. The people are losing control.
I-1033 allows the state, counties, and cities to grow, but at a rate that citizens can control and taxpayers can afford.
I-1033 gets government off the "fiscal roller coaster," allowing it to grow at a sustainable rate that doesn't outpace taxpayers' ability to afford it.
I-1033 is needed now more than ever.
We're very proud of our supporters and very hopeful that voters will support controlling the growth of government and lowering property taxes by approving I-1033 in November.
Tim Eyman is co-sponsor of the Lower Property Taxes Initiative I-1033 and heads up Voters Want More Choices. 425-493-8707, jakatak@comcast.net, www.VotersWantMoreChoices.com