On Monday, Burien city council members held the first of two public hearings about a proposed one percent increase to property taxes.
Citizens who participated in the public comment and public hearing session were consistent in their feedback.
Cathy Parker urged the city to follow the example of other municipalities and shelve, furlough or otherwise put off any projects requiring additional taxes.
Citing the drop in South King County home and condominium sales, realtor Robbie Howell told the city to "give its citizens a break" and avoid "speculative ventures and unpredictable projects that are doing poorly."
And Roger Dolorme noted the recent failure of the $25 license tab fee and said all he hears the city talk about is downtown, never the suburbs of Burien where "there's no code enforcement and no one gets anything done."
Mayor Joan McGilton said she gets "very distressed" when she hears citizens accuse the city government of being irresponsible in how it uses its money.
She noted that 52 percent of the city's $15 million budget goes to police services that the public has come to expect, leaving precious little to fulfill other obligations such as capital improvement projects, general maintenance and paying the more than 50 people who work in city offices.
The city has dipped into the general fund by about $350,000 this year, completely defunded the line item for street and sidewalk improvements, and in June the council amended Burien's 2009-2010 biennial budget to address continued declines in tax revenue.
Without such actions, the city would have been operating in the red by 2012, says finance director Tabatha Miller.
State law requires municipal governments to raise property taxes by the lesser of one percent or inflation. Because inflation was only .848 percent this year, the city must find "substantial need" to justify raising property taxes by the entire one percent.
As evidence of this need, the city points to its declined sales tax revenue, the already amended budget, continued efforts to serve citizens at existing levels, and general need to cover maintenance and operating expenses.
Put in real terms, the difference between a .848 percent increase and a 1.0 percent increase is around $3.53 per year, staffers reported.
However, Councilwoman Lucy Krakowiak said she is convinced additional cuts can be made before going to citizens for more money.
Krakowiak advocates partnering with adjoining cities to create a bargaining unit or police force of its own that could drive down law enforcement costs.
