Washington House Democrats

Morrell commends Gov. Gregoire's call for a special session to reenact I-747

Pierce County needs property-tax ceiling, Morrell says

I highly commend Gov. Chris Gregoire for calling a special session to restore Initiative 747’s one percent limit on property-tax increases.

A ceiling on property-tax increases is especially urgent in Pierce County, because our property values are going through the roof!  That’s why the one percent ceiling I co-sponsored last February included an emergency clause.

I respect local government concerns about the strictness of the one percent limit. But I-747 is not a blanket ceiling on property-tax increases--it is a ceiling on property-tax increases that can be imposed without a public vote. If local governments truly need more, they can still ask the people for more at the ballot box.

While I strongly support a statutory limit on property-tax increases, I continue to believe that any real long-term solution to soaring property-tax bills must tackle the issue of skyrocketing assessed values.  But our first task is to respect the public vote on I-747 and we can accomplish that immediately with a special session.

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State Rep. Dawn Morrell serves the people of the 25th District and has long championed property-tax relief.