SEATTLE — Sixteen months after he declared a state of emergency on homelessness, Seattle’s mayor is asking voters in this liberal, affluent city for $55 million a year in new taxes to fight the problem.
Some are pushing back, saying the city already spends millions to combat homelessness, and things appear to have gotten worse, not better.
In making his case, Mayor Ed Murray said the problem has grown exponentially and federal and state help is unlikely. He wants voters to support a proposed ballot initiative that would increase property taxes to raise $275 million over five years for homeless services — almost doubling what Seattle spends each year.
Supporters say current resources haven’t been enough to stem the rising tide of people on the streets, and the proposed levy will provide more housing for those who need it most.
“This is a city that’s not going to wait for a dysfunctional federal government to show up and do something — because lives are being lost,” Murray said at a recent news conference.
The mayor, who is up for re-election, would be on the same ballot as the tax initiative if backers gather enough signatures to qualify it for the August election.
City voters have approved three property tax increases in as many years to pay for affordable housing, preschools and buses, on top of other taxes, and some say the higher bills are pricing out working- and middle-class families. Others are demanding accountability.
The mayor “needs to make these reforms first and then come to the taxpayers,” said Harley Lever, founder of a group called Safe Seattle, which helped form one of two campaigns opposing Initiative 126.
The city should spend money more efficiently and adopt the data-driven, performance-based approach that places like Houston and Boston have used to successfully reduce homelessness, Lever said.
“Seattle citizens are very generous. They’ve done their part,” he added.
