(Editor's Note: This letter was sent to lawmakers hosting an Aug. 19 meeting on airport noise with a copy to the Times/News.)
I must take exception to your post card statement that "the State has no jurisdiction over Sea-Tac Airport flight operations."
If you will recall during World War II an emergency war measure was passed to protect the ports from Japanese battleships The Port was given the power to levy property taxes without a vote of the people.
I have not seen any Japanese battleships in Puget Sound recently. However, the Port is still on public welfare and collecting $78 million per year in property taxes without a vote of the people. The Legislature should make a long overdue change to the Port RCW.
Most of that $78 million goes to somewhat frivolous construction projects such as rental car parking garages. That $78 million construction money could be better used by the cities and county for important construction, such as dikes, schools and so on.
The Legislature has never supported the Seattle and Tacoma port commissioners. The Port staff has a large paid lobby in the Legislature. The five Seattle port commissioners share one employee who was hired by the manager. The manager (with an unbreakable contract) makes substantially more than Dinsmore and is probably the highest paid state employee.
The Legislature turned down the request from the commissioners for their own staff to keep track of the day-to-day operations. Because the commissioners are able to add taxes without a vote of the people they are under tremendous pressure to build toys such as the third runway and fourth runway.
Without the property tax, the commission would probably deactivate the third runway as a cost saving venture.
Dan Caldwell
Des Moines